


Sleepless Nights

by ShippingMyWorld



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Extreme slow burn, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Self-Discovery, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, So slow you can smoke meat over it, Strangers to Friends, no one else was writing a slow burn for this pair, so i took it upon myself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2018-12-06 05:24:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 86,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11593833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingMyWorld/pseuds/ShippingMyWorld
Summary: Restarting his grandfather's run-down farm was not going to be an easy task. Aside from being a complete beginner at living off the land, he needed to learn how to making a living in the farming business. And with everyone in town clamoring over each other to get to know their newest neighbor, The Farmer barely has any time to himself. But time goes on and the seasons change, as do the feeling people hold for one another.Meanwhile, the Junimos face destruction at the hands of Joja Corp and believe The Farmer to be their savior. But when the future becomes uncertain, they begin to take fate into their own hands.





	1. Prologue

Year: ???

Season: ???

Day: ???

* * *

 

The ever-present hum of a thousand copy machines accompanied the daily activities of Joja Corp. Some of them may actually be fax machines, but he didn’t care. The hurried clicking of the computers’ keyboards were only offset by the occasional yawn. On a lucky day, someone would drop a stack of papers that needed to be approved, signed, and shredded. Those days brought a welcome change to the muted symphony of the corporate world.

When a short man in a red bow tie walked past his cubicle, he realized that today was a very lucky day. A voice, crisp and professional, like new paper for the fax machine, told Suzie that upper management wished to see her in their office. If you were called to one of those luxurious corner rooms that granted a window, you were being promoted or fired.

No one ever got promoted.

He stopped typing and leaned back in his chair. He found it easier to eavesdrop when you were looking at the ceiling.

There was a slight tremor in Suzie’s voice as she gave her reply. She was asking if she could finish her work first. A commendable, but futile effort to delay her fate.

The man in the red bow tie had only a curt response. Her work wouldn’t be necessary.

His cubicle neighbor, a woman in her late fifties, had daringly stuck her head out to watch the events unfold. She was an oldie in the company, boasting fifteen years. Living proof that you can’t climb the corporate ladder.

Suzie insisted her work was very important. The voice she employed was familiar. Often heard when an actor on TV begs for their life. Suzie wanted to prove that she put her work first and wasn’t actually at the bottom rung of performance. Maybe if she could change the opinion of this harbinger, she could change her fate.

The man cut her off. He repeated himself, adding a please. An axe to silence her tongue.

A stillness held the air. The man was a conductor, deliberately holing his musicians at attention, allowing the reverberation of the final note to resound across the concert hall.

Suzie’s chair rolled back as she stood. When she passed his cubicle, her body sagged, visibly devoid of life. The door to upper management opened, and then closed.

Suzie was mourned by the clattering of keyboards.

The old woman snorted, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. The thought on her mind was likely that she’d never have the misfortune of being spoken to.

He watched her work out of the corner of his eyes. Sometimes, he had dreams about her getting fired. The man with his red bow tie and crisp voice declaring her summons to upper management.

He looked back down at his work, but did not make an effort to resume it. He hadn’t known Suzie. Nonetheless, his resolve to work always faltered whenever someone got fired. It was gentle reminder that the bottom rung of the ladder was slowly getting closer to him. What was considered acceptable performance today became unacceptable tomorrow, and outstanding performances today set the standard for tomorrow’s expectations.

What happens when that rung finally reaches his empty, uninspiring cubicle? ‘No decorations or nick-knacks,’ they had told him. ‘Distractions from work are distractions from a better life.’

He often day-dreamed of being fired. The basic cost of living wrung his twice-monthly paycheck dry in a matter of days. His savings account was an old cheese ball container atop his fridge. It was filled with a trifling amount of change; there was barely enough money to buy a single value meal from WacDonalds. Joja Corp is where you went when you had no dreams, no ambition, no drive. If you couldn’t hold a job here, you wouldn’t be hired anywhere else. He’d be evicted—maybe in two months if he at least kept up the appearance that he still had a job. But that required a degree of work itself. But then what would he do all day? His income would be cut off, and if the landlady heard him in his apartment she’d question why he was at home in the middle of the day.

He could move in with his parents; guaranteed food, no rent, and he’d only have to deal with the occasional passive-aggressive comment about mooching off of them. That meant giving up his independence to a degree. Not that he did anything meaningful, but it was not an appealing option.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and placed his forehead on his desk. Most days it felt as if the city was slowly eating away at his soul.

_“There will come a day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life…”_

He sat up and looked around. Did someone say something? Or was he finally losing it and hearing voices?

_“…and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness. When that day comes, you will be ready for this gift.”_

Something colored bright-red moved at the edge of his vision, darting out of his cubicle. He spun in his chair and leapt to his feet. His neighbor side-eyed him. Her face said she was thinking of how to report his actions, but he ignored her. Whatever it was, it was in the hallway now. The man with the red bow tie was still out there, and he did not have an excuse to leave his desk.

His neighbor gave a quiet and not-so-polite cough. It was how she told others they were disrupting her very important work.

Then there was another flash of red, darting back towards his desk. The top drawer of his desk was slightly ajar. He walked over to it, fascinated that something at Joja was out of line. Opening the drawer, he found a letter—something that he thought had been left at the apartment.

Seeing the letter triggered his memory. Those words he heard in his head, they were his grandfather’s final words. He was so young when it happened, barely tall enough to see over the curve of his grandfather’s belly. Now looking at the purple seal of the envelope, he clearly remembered every detail of those final moments.

A fireplace radiating a final warmth and the stars that twinkled through a closed window. The wrinkled and spotted skin of a hand that gingerly presented the sealed letter, the soft sparkle behind kind brown eyes, and a voice full of love that murmured to him,  _“…and for my very special grandson.”_

He’d accepted the letter with wide eyes, holding it reverently in open palms. He was unaware at the time of how little life his grandfather had left in him. But he knew from his mother silently weeping in a chair nearby that this was an important visit, and all things from his grandfather should be taken seriously. He stayed silent through his grandfather’s last words, a practice learned from being scolded for not sitting still in church.

He tore off the yellowed edge and pulled two papers out of the envelope. The first was older than the envelope, the thick and wrinkled paper that felt like worn leather and read ‘Property Deed’ at the top in elegant, hand-drafted script. The second was a letter, signed by his grandfather.

_“If you are reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._  

_The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong. I’ve enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my boy. Good luck._

  _Love, Grandpa._

  _P.S. If Lewis is still alive say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?”_

After he finished the letter, he read it again. Then the deed, but not really reading the fine print. This had to be a dream. A bad dream. Every second that passed he waited for it to disappear in his hands. Maybe it’d turn into a cat, or he’d look down and find he’d actually forgotten to wear pants.

His stained khakis remained, and so did the letter.

Again, a not-so-polite cough demanded his attention. The man with the red bow tie now stood at his cubicle. One hand was adjusting the glasses to sit higher on his nose and the other was behind his back. “Break time does not start for another seventy-eight minutes. I strongly urge you return to your work.”

The man in the red bow tie waited, wanting to ensure his suggestion was carried out.

He looked down at the letter in his hands, then back to the man in the red bow tie. “No.”

For the second time today, the old woman in the opposite cubicle stopped her work.

The man in the red bow tie furrowed his brow. The bewildered look he now wore was clearly a new expression. He had not been expecting resistance. The man with the red bow tie repeated the words, speaking them as if a foreign language. “Did you say, ‘No’?”

A wave of energy filled him from the papers he held. Old memories mixed with new dreams, rushing through his head. The smell of tilled earth filled his nostrils and he could see the spouting crops in his mind. He remembered the thrill of being placed on the back of a young calf. He remembered warm, summer nights of capturing fireflies in jars and eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches under the moonlight. The sweet taste of strawberries stolen from the garden made his mouth water.

He dreamed of a quiet night under the stars with fingers laced though his own.

He looked at the man with the red bow tie, his resolve growing. “That’s right. I quit.”

Both men stood there saying nothing more. The expression on the man with the red bow tie changed slowly from bewilderment to terror.

Stuffing the papers safely in his pocket, he turned and gathered what few possessions he could lay claim to from the desk before pushing past the man with the red bow tie. Heads turned when he passed the cubicles. A silence accompanied him, different from Suzie's funeral procession. This was the awe-struck silence that followed the performance of Mozart.

The man with the red bow tie called after him. He yelled about papers that needed to be signed and filed. But the man in the red bow tie yelped and tumbled to the floor.

He did not stop to look back but did notice another flash of bright red color dart past him. He continued on, pushing through the doors feeling exhilarated, knowing that this would be the last time he’d do so.

The letter and deed were a lifeline he desperately clung to. The sun was still high overhead and the cool, spring breeze ruffled his hair. The performance of Joja Corp was now forever behind him.

* * *

 

Year: 01

Season: Spring

Date: 00

* * *

 The transition from the chaotic cityscape to neatly organized suburbs to untouched wilderness did miracles for his mood. His shoulder still hurt from packing and his eyelids drooped. Despite the fatigue, he didn’t feel extremely tired. Just the right amount of tired.

Most of the people around him asked if he should make such a big decision on a whim. A few said he was delusional, chasing a pipe dream. He ignored them. Saying no to the man in the red bow tie, it made him happy. Run down the street and laugh at everything happy.

Okay, maybe it was crazy.

He knew his grandfather wouldn’t be there. He knew the fields of strawberries wouldn’t exist and the animals would also be long gone. Everything would be different and the nearest familiar face was a five-hour bus ride away. But thinking about being able to reclaim even an inkling of his joyful farm-life memories made the sky dazzle.

The bus pulled to a stop and the driver announced Pelican Town. He stood, shouldering his backpack.

There was a middle-aged woman waiting for him. Her bright orange hair bounced when she waved him over. Her dark-green eyes matched her cargo pants, and flecks of saw-dust was sprinkled over her tan-colored jacket. The bus rumbled away and then it was just the two of them.

She held out her hand. “Hi! I’m Robin, the local carpenter.” Her voice was filled with pep, reminding him of his high school Mayor Lewis sent me to fetch you. He’s at your new home now just tidying some things up.”

He took the hand and smiled back. “Nice to meet you.”

Robin held his smile for a moment. He noticed she gave him a once-over look, and something entered her expression. It was almost a sad expression. But it was gone when she broke their handshake. “Come on. The farm isn’t far from here.”

When she had said it wasn’t far, what she meant was that the sun would be setting by the time they got there. The path she took him on felt like more of a hike along an overgrown trail. The whole thing was uphill and it left him slightly winded.

_God I’m out of shape_ , he thought.

“Here we are!” Robin turned and smiled at him, still perky. If she noticed he was out of breath, she didn’t mention it.

Grandpa’s cottage was there, looking nothing like he last remembered it. The wood had aged and the paint faded. The grass around it almost reached the windows and the bottom step on the porch had a massive hole in it. When he looked at what had become of the farm, a heavy sigh escaped him.

Robin raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Just reality setting in. I hadn’t expected anything from Grandpa’s farm to still be standing but expecting it and seeing it are two different things.” He paused, looking over everything again. “This is all mine now, isn’t it?” A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as the idea set in.

Robin gave him a fierce slap on the back, causing him to jump. She still had a massive grin on her face. “Don’t worry. I’m sure with a little hard work and some of my elbow grease, you’ll have this place looking like it did back in its heyday! If you find you ever want to make that old cottage a bit more modern, give me a call. I work quickly and efficiently, all at a reasonable price.”

“Are you soliciting our new farmer already, Robin?” An old man with a graying mustache spoke from the cottage’s now open front door. Dressed in an emerald button-up and yellow tie, he looked ready to file paperwork and out of place of the front stoop. He adjusted the brown cap on his head with a sly grin towards Robin. “I’d expect this behavior from Pierre, but not from you.”

Robin crossed her arms and pouted. “You can’t fault me, can you? Business is slow, Mayor Lewis.”

Lewis walked down the steps, avoiding the hole at the bottom. “That’s no excuse to hassle him, I’m sure he’s tired from his bus ride.” The mayor brought both hands to hold the straps of his overalls and looked back at the cottage. “I never actually dreamed that someone would one day move into this old place. Truth be told, I stopped taking care of it a few years back. But then I get a call from you! The whole town’s in an uproar. We don’t get very many new folks here, and everyone wants to meet you. Little Jas just keeps pestering me with questions day in and out.”

“Who’s Jas?”

“One of the girls that lives in town. You’ll meet her eventually.” Lewis waved off the question. “Anyways, I’ve gotten everything ready for you. All the boxes you sent ahead are inside.”

“Thanks for everything Lewis,” he said. “You’ve been a really big help since I called you out of the blue like that.”

“Just give me first pick of the hot peppers and we’re even!” The Mayor laughed. “But I bet you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you head inside and call it a night? I’ll stop by tomorrow and introduce you to everyone.” Lewis extended a hand, “It’s nice to finally meet you in person, Farmer.”

The Farmer took Lewis’ hand with a smile. “Likewise.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you read the tags, you know that I'm writing this because no one else has written a slowburn Alex x M!Farmer and I needed one in my life. This fic is also gonna be a practice for me to get back into writing more frequently, and I've already plotted outlines for eighteen chapters so I hope the downtime between updates will not be too drawn out.
> 
> So two things I wanna address. First, I based a lot of this on how my playthrough of Stardew Valley went down. So since my farmer was a self-insert (how else are you supposed to play dating/life simulators?), I found it hard to name the main protagonist for this fic. Therefor, he's simply going to go by The Farmer whenever someone refers to him. I hope this isn't going to be confusing. The Farmer is a person he becomes when he changes his life, so that's why he wasn't referred to as The Farmer until the very end of this chapter.
> 
> Second, the tags warn you that this is an extreme slowburn, and I mean it. Chapters 1-3 will mostly be The Farmer getting used to his new life and meeting the people of Pelican Town. But fear not, it's still a romance! Chapters 4-18 will mostly be interactions between the two protagonists, The Farmer and Alex.


	2. Trouble with a Dog

Year:1  
Season: Spring  
Date: 01

* * *

 

 

The shrill shrieks of the alarm grated against The Farmer’s ears. Still lying face-down in bed, he fruitlessly waved a hand at his phone in an attempt to snooze it. He knew that farm life would require waking up at dawn, even mentally prepared himself by turning in early last night. But that just resulted in him lying awake for several hours staring at nothing. Maybe he was just doomed to a late-to-bed and early-to-rise lifestyle. His body was evidently not ready to make the transition. It felt heavy and his limbs were slow to move, like his hands and feet were made of stone.

After a minute of listening to the alarm, he pulled himself up and out of bed and silenced it. It was still dark in the cottage and the outlines of the many boxes he hadn’t bothered unpacking sat waiting for him. He slowly maneuvered around them to the window and pulled open the curtains, letting the soft, yellow glow of the sunrise enter the cottage. It only helped illuminate the mess he had made, having only unpacked what he needed for last night. After searching for the one marked ‘Clothing’ in black marker and changing out of his sleeping clothes, The Farmer noticed another box he didn’t remember bringing. It sat on the chest next to the old, tube television. It wasn’t marked, but there was an envelope taped to it. Curious, he tore it open and read the letter inside.

_“Here’s a little something from me to get you started! I also put a few of your grandfather’s old things into the chest for you. They were just taking up space at my place so at least they can get some use now!”  
-Lewis_

When he opened the small box, he found it was filled with bags of parsnip seeds. The packaging boldly proclaimed:  _‘Easy to grow! Perfect for beginners!’_  It drew a single laugh from The Farmer, reminding him of infomercials on TV. He put the box aside and opened the chest next. The somewhat-rusted farming tools that sat inside were barely small enough to fit in the trunk. He picked up the axe and, thinking of all the trees he needed to clear from the fields, thought it might break if he swung it too hard.

_I guess everyone has to start somewhere,_  he thought to himself.

He was about to close the chest when something beneath the iron of the shovel caught his eye. It was a very small, hand-carved wooden box. The edges were uneven and there were a few obvious nicks where the blade had carved too deep and then pulled away to start over. A small silver latch held the box shut. It was familiar to him—but he couldn’t quite place the familiarity.

He flipped the latch up and opened the box. It was filled with a multitude of different, colored bandanas. Most were solid colored, but a few had patterns outlined in white on them. When he pulled out a solid red one, he recalled his grandfather helping him tie it one summer long ago.

“Think you can remember how to tie it?”

He had nodded vigorously, even though he had already forgotten one of the steps.

His grandfather laughed. “Now if you get too hot again, just dip it in the river and wring it out before you tie it again. It’s how I stay cool out in the fields.” There was a twinkle in his eye then. “Ready to help me harvest some corn for dinner tonight?”

There was a knock at the door, drawing The Farmer out of his memories.

“Hey Farmer!” Lewis’ voice called. “You awake in there yet?”

“I’ll be out in a moment,” The Farmer called back. He put the wooden box back into the chest, keeping the red bandana and tying it around his neck. He still couldn't remember the best way to start the knot in back, but made it work. He figured it was good enough and smiled at the thought of his grandfather seeing him still struggle with it again after all these years.

He opened the door, finding Lewis who was looking over the overgrown fields with his hands on the straps of his overalls. “You know,” Lewis said, “I’m glad this farm is going to get some love and care, but there’s a certain charm that abandoned places have, you know? I know that Penny likes to walk through the tall grasses sometimes.”

The Farmer raised an eyebrow at Lewis. “You trying to get rid of me already?”

Lewis chuckled. “No, no. I’m just talking to myself.” He turned to face The Farmer. “All right, let's start that tour I promised you.”

The Farmer followed Lewis back past the bus stop and when they walked into a large plaza, Lewis declared them at town square. A light breeze blew through, carrying cotton puffs and flower petals on it. Lewis was pointing out houses towards the beach and listing names that The Farmer was sure he’d forget before the sun went down. During his visits in his childhood, he couldn’t recall leaving the farm much, so nothing looked familiar to him. The town was small, to say the least. They had only just entered, and he could already see what he assumed was the other edge of town, where the forest dominated the landscape once again. There were a few people awake, but none quite awake enough to acknowledge Lewis or The Farmer yet.

“And this place here is Pierre’s General Store.” Lewis stopped outside the largest building and gestured to it. It was mostly tan with a dark orange roof, but a small portion of the western part of the building was painted white. A red cross hung above the door there. It looked like it had been patched together hastily, like someone trying to fix torn pants with mismatched fabric. “That’s Harvey’s Clinic,” Lewis said, having noticed The Farmer’s gaze. “Harvey’s the town’s doctor, but he’s not open this early, so I’ll introduce you later.

“Now here,” Lewis slapped a hand against the side of Pierre’s with a glint his is eye, “Is my community calendar. I keep it updated with birthdays and holidays every month, as well as any requests the townsfolk have given me. If you need a little extra cash, you should make sure to check it out.”

“So not even a full twenty-four hours and I’m already being made the town gofer?”

Lewis laughed again. “Don’t be so cynical boy. I’m not forcing you help anyone. Now come on, I’ll introduce you to Pierre.” Lewis pushed open the front door and walked into the general store.

The Farmer lingered outside a moment longer, left with his thoughts. He quickly scanned over some of the requests on the board. It would be a while before anything actually grew, and he would have to make some sort of income if he wanted to eat. With a little bit of distaste, he noticed that many of the posts were people looking for specific foods—reasoning stretching from trying a new recipe to simply having a craving—but there were a few he could do easily. Looking for manual labor, gathering ore, stone, or wood for projects, and…

“Slaying monsters?” The Farmer read the paper twice, not sure if it was a joke or not.

Before he could process the thought further, he heard the rapid succession of paws on stone. And then someone shouted at him.

“Look out!”

The Farmer turned to the cry, only to have his vision filled with dark brown fur. A large dog used his face as a springboard, leaping higher into the air to catch a thrown frisbee. The dog landed gracefully with a triumphant look and the disk in mouth.

The Farmer was less graceful on his way to the ground, having just been sacked by a thirty-pound dog. The back of his skull collided painfully with the cobblestone. There was a resounding ‘Thwack!’ in his ears, and everything went black.

He knew only two things at that moment. There was an extreme pain that throbbed at the source of impact, and that the world wouldn't sit still. The space around him felt physical, like water tossing him around in the undertow. Multiple voices spoke at once.

“Is he alright?”

“You need to keep a better leash on that dog!”

“What happened out here?”

“Someone go call Harvey!”

There was a hand put under his back and another on his shoulder, slowly pulling him to a sitting position. The first voice that called out the warning spoke to him, it was very close. “Hey, are you okay?”

The Farmer lashed out and grabbed at the voice, taking a fistful of fabric in his hand. It helped steady him, being anchored to an object that didn’t move. Slowly, the spinning lessened and his vision came back to him.

The first thing to come into focus was a man’s face. He had deep, green eyes and his brow was knit together, contorting his handsome face in worry. His light, sand-brown hair had flower petals in it, left behind by the spring breeze. The fabric of his green varsity jacket was soft between The Farmer’s fingers.

_I’m dead,_  was The Farmer’s initial thought,  _I’m dead and this beautiful angel has come to take me to the afterlife._

The world beyond came into focus then, the faces of people he didn’t recognize had gathered around. A mustached man with square glasses pushed through the crowd and knelt down on the other side of him, placing a small box on the ground and then attempting to shine a miniature flashlight in his eyes. He spoke to The Farmer, but The Farmer wasn’t able to quite make out what the man was saying. That was because he saw suddenly saw red.

Specifically, a red bow tie.

Attached to the bow tie was the ugliest comb-over The Farmer had ever seen. A pair of black, beady eyes peered down at him with disgust over wire frame glasses. The Farmer was in pain right now, but more importantly, he was free of Joja Corp—meaning he could say whatever he wanted without fear.

“What in Yoba’s fucking name are you doing here?”

Several of the gathered people looked put off by the language, even the mustached man had stopped examining him momentarily. Lewis was among the gathered crowd. He gave a quick look between The Farmer and the man in the red bow tie before clearing his throat. “Do you know The Farmer, Morris?”

Morris adjusted his glasses before giving the most genuine fake smile he could muster. “You could say we were formerly acquainted in the city.”

The Farmer snorted. “Acquainted? You embody every reason why I left the city in the first place.”

Morris’ smile showed no sign of faltering. “My dear sir, I’m afraid I don’t have the foggiest idea of what you’re referring to.”

The Farmer opened his mouth, but the mustached man stepped in. “Alright, stop it. This man has a mild concussion and I need to get him inside so I can treat that cut. So everyone needs to disperse.” Only once it had been mentioned did The Farmer feel a wetness on his forehead. When he reached up to touch it, his fingers came away red with blood. The crowd began to disperse, and the mustached man turned to The Farmer. “Alex, can you help him into the clinic?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” The man that The Farmer had mistaken for an angel, apparently named Alex, stood up and offered his hand. “Are you okay to stand?”

The Farmer found he couldn’t remember how to speak, so instead gave a quick nod. He took Alex’s hand, which was surprisingly soft, and pulled himself up. The moment he fully stood, nausea and vertigo overtook him and he stumbled into a surprised Alex’s arms. Alex, taken off-guard, barely managed to keep the both of them upright, “Woah, careful buddy.”

“Sorry.” The Farmer mumbled, definitely not noticing that Alex smelled like bacon and pancakes. He let Alex help steady his footing, his strong hands holding his shoulders firmly in place.

“I should be the one apologizing. Dusty is the one that hurt you in the first place.” The dog, apparently named Dusty, gave a soft bark on hearing his name. Alex shot the dog a dirty look. “Don’t look so happy, I’m blaming you for this.”

Dusty tilted his head, but his tail was wagging.

So, with some help from Alex and Lewis, The Farmer managed to make it into the clinic and onto an examination bed. Alex tried to issue another apology but was shooed out with Lewis by the mustached man, Harvey.

Once alone, Harvey went to work. He pulled out a first aid kit from one of the cabinets, then pulled on some gloves and soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic. The Farmer paid little mind to him, instead staring at the door where Alex had disappeared. His head was still spinning slightly, and it was hard to think properly. What he was thinking about, was how ridiculous Alex looked with those flower petals in his hair, like some cliched sappy love story.

“Your face is red.” Harvey remarked. The Farmer’s attention snapped back to the man who was applying a bandage to his forehead. “You’re not allergic to dogs are you?”

“No.” The Farmer thought quickly of an excuse. “I guess I’m still just dizzy.”

Harvey’s face didn’t show that he believed The Farmer.

_Idiot_ , The Farmer chastised himself. _What kind of person gets red-faced when they’re dizzy?_

Harvey retained his skeptical look throughout the examination. After some poking, prodding, bandaging, and many more questions on how The Farmer felt, there was a knock on the door. It opened without waiting for a response, and Lewis poked his head into the examination room. “How’s he looking doc?”

“It’s nothing too serious,” Harvey pulled his gloves off with two swift snapping motions. He turned to The Farmer. “But no physical labor or work of any kind for the next twenty-four hours, do you understand? Your brain needs rest to avoid any further damage.”

The Farmer tried to hide his disappointment behind a smile and slid off the examination table. “Well I guess that means I have an excuse to not finish unpacking.”

Lewis grinned, sticking his hands into his pockets. “Well it doesn’t seem like any harm has been done to your sassy tongue, so I’d reckon he’s okay. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Alex gets the bill for this. By the way, Farmer. There’s someone out here that’s been waiting for you.”

One of The Farmer’s eyebrows went up at that. He didn’t actually know anyone in town, it was only his first day. There shouldn’t be anyone who was waiting to make sure he was okay. As he walked past Lewis towards the waiting room, his heartbeat quickened a fraction when he thought of a green-eyed man coming to check on him.

When the disgusting man in the red bow tie rose from his seat, The Farmer’s small smile became a scowl. If Morris noticed, he didn’t give any indication. He wore his perfectly fake customer service smile and held a clipboard in his hands as he approached. “Ah, my dear Farmer. I hope you are feeling well.”

“I was until I walked into the room. It suddenly feels as if the temperature dropped twenty degrees when I did.”

“Well you know what they say about spring weather. We’re still so close to winter that Jack Frost may make unexpected visits.”

“Nobody says that.”

“They don’t? Well then, I must be mistaken. Moving on.” Ignoring the terrible transition he just made, Morris held out the clipboard to The Farmer. “Given our sudden reunion, I was reminded that you don’t actually hold a JojaMart membership. I found it odd considering the time you spent working for our company. So, I’ve gone ahead and gotten everything taken care of, so you can start enjoying membership benefits! You’ll just need to sign on the dotted line.”

“No thanks.” The Farmer didn’t even glance down at the clipboard.

Morris furrowed his brow and tilted his head. It sent a small burst of enjoyment through The Farmer to see that Morris still wasn’t used to being told no. “I must beg you to reconsider,” Morris said. “We offer low prices on many items from seeds to tools. All essentials that a budding farmer such as yourself could surely use the saving on.”

“Lewis,” The Farmer turned to the older man, who was somewhat hiding in the door to the waiting room looking slightly uncomfortable. “Pierre sells seeds and tools, right?”

Lewis nodded. “Ah, yes he does.”

“Well,” The Farmer turned back to Morris. “I guess I know which supplier I’m buying from. Why don’t you scurry back to whatever hole you exist in and leave me alone.”

Morris hesitated before retracting the clipboard. Behind the smile, his eyes were anything but friendly. “I do hope to see you sooner or later, my dear Farmer. You’ll see that we’re the only way to shop smart.” He then turned and left, pushing the door open with slightly more force than necessary.

Lewis stepped hesitantly into the waiting room, averting his gaze when The Farmer shot a glare at him. “You guys have a JojaMart in town?”

“Yeah, it’s rather new.” Lewis rubbed the back of his neck. “They finished construction and opened the store a few weeks ago. I was initially against the idea—but we had an empty lot and their offer was too good to refuse. Plus, the town is making a pretty good profit of off their taxes, I couldn’t refuse.”

“Is Pelican Town in that bad of shape?”

Lewis grimaced. Clearly it was a sore subject. “We’re a small town in need of a lot of repairs. The bridge to the quarry is out and the minecarts haven’t been working for years, just to name a few. And I’m sure you’ll notice once you get a proper tour, but the community center is on her last legs. Nobody even uses the building anymore, so Joja offered to buy it and turn it into a warehouse. Offered a very pretty penny for it too.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“I’m sentimental. Don’t wanna see her torn down. Ah,” Lewis’ eyebrows shot up and he gave The Farmer a sheepish look. “Speaking of, I hope you’ll forgive me."

The Farmer looked Lewis up and down, a sense of foreboding overcoming him like a wave. “Why would you need forgiveness?”

“Ever since Morris became the JojaMart manager, he’s been pestering me day and night to sell the community center. I reckon he thinks if he can get me to sell the building, Joja will give him a promotion. So, I may have implied, somewhat explicitly, that if he can get the new farmer that was moving into town to sign up for a membership, I’d sell the community center.”

“So to get him to stop pestering you, you got him to start pestering me?”

“And that’s why I need to ask your forgiveness. You gotta understand, Farmer. He would wait in my bushes with a whole darn presentation. I couldn’t leave my own home without being jumped on by that gremlin.”

He thought about it. Having Morris pester him day in and night could get annoying very quickly. But on the other hand, The Farmer now had full power and control over Morris. Meaning his former boss would have to come to him crawling on his hands and knees. “We’ll see about that forgiveness, Lewis. But I hope the community center isn’t too much of an eyesore. I had planned to never set foot in a Joja building even before I came here.”

Lewis looked somewhat relieved. He beamed at The Farmer. “Well who knows, maybe one of these days we’ll be able to fix her up. Now come on, let me see you home. We’ll continue our tour tomorrow. Hopefully with less dog-related injuries.”

* * *

 

The sun was going down and The Farmer was counting the number of exposed nails he could see from his bed for the fifth time that night. At least the nails had the decency to change numbers each time to keep things interesting. Admittedly, that may have been due to the concussion though. Before he left the clinic, Harvey had reiterated that The Farmer was forbidden any sort of physical labor. The tube tv only received two channels, three if he got lucky, and he could only flip between gameshow reruns and an automated voice reading him the weather so many times before growing bored of it.

So, he laid in bed, the unpacked boxes mocking him from around the room. He napped earlier but was now wide awake and going slightly stir-crazy. He was surprised to learn that he had enough patience to watch the orange light that streamed in from the cottage’s single window slowly creep across the wall until it disappeared.

Once he was submerged in the darkness, The Farmer’s thoughts began to wander. As thoughts often did when it got too late into the night. His thoughts started off about the farm, how he should best start clearing the fields, what he would plant. When he started formulating actual plans, a slight pain started in the back of his head. He somewhat remembered that Harvey had mentioned too much brain activity was bad for a concussion.

_“You’re my family.”_

The Farmer sat up in bed, looking around the darkened room.

_“I’ll take care of you. Always.”_

It was just like his last day at Joja when he heard his grandfather’s voice. Only, that had been in the middle of the day when there were other people around. Not when he was alone and in a dark room, out in the middle of nowhere when his closest neighbor was at least a twenty-minute walk. There was a tapping on the window’s glass. Small and soft, barely audible. The floorboards creaked despite not having any extra weight pressed against them.

Against his better judgement, The Farmer stood up and walked over to the window. The sun had just gone down, and the entire field was covered in darkness. Some of the tall grass moved, and he knew it was because of the wind. However, some corner of his mind asked the question,  _‘What if it’s not the wind?’_

“I’m going to go crazy and start thinking things are in the cottage,” he muttered. He pulled himself away from the window before his paranoia could grow any further. Only, doing so validated his paranoia. Jumping up and down on his bed, was a small red block. It had arms, and impressions in its body that resembled a face. There was a slight luminescence to its body, casting the blood-colored light all over the cottage. It stopped jumping when The Farmer saw it, and instead started waving its arms excitedly.

“I’m officially losing it.” The Farmer muttered, covering his face with his hands. “First I heard the voices of dead people, and now I’m hallucinating.”

“@#$*&@#%$!” Whatever it was screamed. Its voice was high-pitched and deafeningly loud. The Farmer stumbled backwards in surprise, tripped over a box, and crashed his head onto the floor. The world spun for the second time that day, though not nearly as severe as the first. Maybe he was building up a tolerance to head trauma.

The glowing red block leapt from the bed and scurried up The Farmer’s leg. It perched itself on his knee to curiously look down at him. The Farmer stared for several moments before trying to reach out and grab it. The creature evaded his grasp easily, and ran over to the front door, which had somehow opened itself. With its tiny arms, it made windmill motions with one and pointed outside with the other.

_It would be kinda cute if not for the creepy glowing,_  he thought.

“Do you want me to follow you?”

The creature shook its body up and down like it was nodding before rushing out the door. The farmer pulled himself up slowly, glancing back out the window. The creature was in front of his cottage, arms waving wildly. “I really am losing it,” he said to himself before following the creature outside.

For something with such tiny legs, it certainly ran fast. It darted between trees and bushes, diving behind large boulders or even into small depressions in the ground. If not for the faint glow, The Farmer would have easily lost its trail. He followed it back into town and then north past Pierre’s General Store. The creature charged through what looked like a playground, before disappearing into a large building. The Farmer faltered outside it for a moment, coming to a halt before the gate. The grass around the building was overgrown, reaching halfway up the broken windows. The shutters hung desperately by rusting screws and there was even a large hole in the roof where the he thought he saw the upper branches of a tree poking out of. The paint on the building had been torn away and was flaking in countless locations, but the sign at the front of the building was still barely legible.

“The Community Center?”

The Farmer looked back up at the building, realizing that Lewis was not exaggerating when he said it was on its last legs. It looked like a strong wind might knock it over. A mostly decayed rope hung in a gap between the fence that surrounded the building where a gate must have once stood. The Farmer was having second thoughts about entering. Maybe there was a reason that the building had fallen into decay.

Through one of the windows, he saw a soft, red glow move through the building before dimming out again. His curiosity was getting the better of him, so with a final glance at his surrounding, The Farmer leapt over the rope and walked into the building.

The front door opened just like many haunted houses did. With hinges squealing for oil and opening to a wide and empty room. The inside was just as rundown as the outside of the building. Plants crept up through the rotting floorboards, there was a heavy smell of mildew hanging in the air, and only small fragments of wallpaper still clung to the wooden walls. There was no sign of the small creature that had summoned The Farmer here. All his instincts were telling him to turn around and go home, you’re done being crazy for today. It’s time for a good night's rest.

Instead, The Farmer closed the door behind him and pulled out his phone. He used the screen to bring some light into the room. So far, nothing was jumping out at him. And he wasn’t hearing voices talk in his head. That had to be a good sign.

Sitting in the center of the room was what looked like a small animal hut, built out of sticks, mud, and tree branches. The Farmer walked over and examined it, peering his head inside cautiously, but there was nothing inside. He stood up and cast his light around the room again. There were several hallways leading further into the building, but he didn’t have the courage to actually explore any further.

So, he did something stupid instead.

“Hello!” He called out, “Is anyone there? I followed this little red thing here and I’m not sure what to do.”

There was no response, but that only unnerved The Farmer. It had been a windy night, but now that he was inside the community center he heard nothing. The building was full of holes, and there wasn’t even the creepy wooshings of the wind to comfort him. He decided then that he had spent enough time here and it was time to go home.

When he turned around, a man was standing in one of the hallways. The Farmer froze, his eyes going wide. The man wore a black cloak and his face was obscured by the pointed hat he wore. His voice was deep and scratched on The Farmer’s ears. “Did you say the Junimos called you here?”

The Farmer didn’t respond. He turned away from the man and began running at the front door. But when he was two steps away, the man appeared in front of him, forcing The Farmer to a skidding halt. The man reached out and grabbed both of The Farmer’s hands in his own. “You said the Junimos called you here? How did you do it?”

The phone cast some light onto the man’s face, effectively wiping away any fear The Farmer had previously. The man’s face was chubby, round, and soft. His light purple hair curled up down and around, giving him an appearance similar to that of a child who refused to brush their hair.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” The Farmer asked.

The man pouted, dropping The Farmer’s hands. “I’m The Wizard. You’re The Farmer, are you not? It seems as if our creators had no intention of naming the either of us. Curious.”

“What?”

The Wizard ignored him, walking instead over to the small hut. “I’ve been studying the Junimos and attempting to communicate with them for years. But they’ve all but ignored me. And then you waltz into town and they approach you without fear.” The Wizard scoffed, then added in a quieter voice. “Guess the main character has finally shown up.”

“@#%*(#%!!!”

A cry from the rafters drew both men’s attentions upwards. A small blocky creature, this one was green, sailed down from the ceiling, landing squarely on The Wizard’s face. While The Wizard was distracted and in pain, the red creature from before charged into the room, left a piece of paper at The Farmer’s feet, and then disappeared with its green companion.

“Wait come back!” The Wizard cried. He looked about ready to give the chase, but when he noticed the paper that The Farmer had picked up his interest shifted.

It was golden colored stationery, with the image of a leafless tree emblazoned on it. The Farmer didn’t know what to expect, but it was covered in symbols unfamiliar to him. To his slight discomfort, The Wizard leaned over his shoulder to read the paper.

“So,” he said to The Wizard, “got any idea on what this says?”

“You cannot read it? It’s the language of the Junimos.”

“The what?”

“Junimos, those small creatures that you followed here.”

“So what are they?”

The Wizard shrugged. “I haven’t had the chance to ask them yet, as they keep running from me. From what little research I can do, I would say they’re minor nature spirits.” He then pulled out a small flask from his robe and uncorked it. “Here, drink this and then you’ll understand their language.”

The Farmer gave him a skeptical look. There was a foul smell reminding him of rotting food and manure emanating from the bottle. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been taught not to accept drinks from strangers.”

The Wizard groaned. “Just. Drink. It. Or else we can’t finish this chapter.”

“What?”

The Wizard said nothing and shoved the drink right under The Farmer’s nose. Hesitantly, he took the flask and grimaced at it. Behind The Wizard, The Farmer noticed one of the hallways began to fill with a soft glow. The small blocky creatures, the Junimos, were peering out at him. They were anticipating him drinking from the bottle, and he hated that he knew they were.

Taking a final moment to resolve himself, The Farmer drank. It was tasteless, much to his surprise. The odor changed as he drank. It was still pungent, but became somewhat sweet. Like the fallen leaves in a forest becoming mulch in the undergrowth. Against his tongue the drink felt like liquid moss, fuzzy and light. When the entire flask was drained, he looked back at the paper in his other hand.

“I still can’t read this.”

“Patience, patience.” The Wizard said. “It takes time for the potion to take effect. I imagine that you’ll be able to understand the Junimos by tomorrow morning.”

“Then why did you insist that I drink it now?!”

“Here,” The Wizard ignored him again and took the paper and empty flask from The Farmer. “I’ll translate for you.”

The Wizard only read for a few moments before the red Junimos rushed up and tore the paper from his hands. It waved one angry hand at The Wizard before gesturing at The Farmer with the paper.

“I know it’s meant for him,” The Wizard said, “but he can’t read it yet.”

The Junimo blew a raspberry at The Wizard—impressive considering The Farmer couldn’t identify an actual mouth on it—before it ran deeper into the building. The Wizard crossed his arms and pouted, glaring at where the Junimo disappeared.

“So,” The Farmer prompted. “What did it say?”

“They’re asking you for help. Some devil with a red neck wants to destroy their home. Something about this place being closest to nature, I think a prophecy was mentioned once. I don’t know. Come back tomorrow and they’ll tell you what to do.” The Wizard threw up his hands and then moved to leave, his feet marching heavily all the way. Before he threw open the front doors, The Farmer heard him mutter, “Why couldn't I be the protagonist?”

When the Wizard was gone, more Junimos popped out of the woodwork. Quite literally too. There were at least a hundred of them, all different colors, living in every nook and cranny of the building. The red Junimo waddled over to The Farmer, still waving the paper at him. The Farmer knelt down, placing his hands on the ground before the Junimo. It hopped into his hands and presented The Farmer once again with the parchment.

“Sorry, I still don’t understand what it says.”

A chorus of disappointed voice rose up from the Junimos.

“But I think I understand what you want. The Wizard said that some devil, I assume Morris, wants to destroy your home, the community center, right?”

The red Junimo nodded vigorously.

“Well you guys are in luck then. I happen to hate Morris. So just tell me what you need to do, and we’ll make his life miserable together.”

The Junimos cheered, many rushed up to hug The Farmer's legs while others started dancing with each other. The red one in his hands started dancing as well, but mis-stepped and tumbled to the floor. Seeing these little creatures excited and happy brought a laugh to The Farmer’s lips.

_I’m gonna be really disappointed if I wake up and this was all a dream._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Junimo sub-plot? In my slow-burn? It's more likely than you think!
> 
> So Alex and The Farmer have met! A dog will always be the best wingman (It also helps that The Farmer is thirsty as fuck and gets crushes easily). But we're halfway through the initial set-up. Remember, this is a strangers-to-friends and friends-to-lovers fic, so they still need to get to know each other before the true pinning can begin. In case you were wondering, I'm not gonna drag you through each and every day. I'm sure you've noticed I put an indicator in whenever the date changes in-fic, and a majority of this fic is gonna take place in Summer and Autumn, so on that note look forward to the next chapter, the Flower Dance!


	3. Dimples

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the six of you who are subscribed to this fic, my sincerest apologies for posting this at 2 am.

 

* * *

 

Year: 1  
Season: Spring  
Date: 23rd

 

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to set when The Farmer sat down on the cottage’s porch. He pulled off his bandana and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His body ached from the day's work, but looking out over the farm filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

_My farm._ The thought brought a smile to his face.

He’d managed to clear a respectable plot of the overgrowth and had begun growing his own crops. Some grew between boulders and tree stumps he hadn’t quite figured out how to remove, but they grew nonetheless. It wasn’t much, as he was still barely scraping together enough money to buy the seeds, but he was proud of the rows of crops that he was able to maintain: parsnips, green beans, cauliflower, and potatoes. These were all, of course, requested by the Junimos.

The day after The Wizard had given him the foul drink, The Farmer returned to the community center and was greeted by the nature spirits, able to fully understand them. They had posted more of the gold parchment around the community center. Unlike the letter from before, which he was unable to find anywhere in the building, these papers looked more like checklists. While the creatures were vague on why they wanted each of the items, it gave him a sense of direction on how he should start the farm.

When he wasn’t clearing the fields, his first couple of days involved him on his hands and knees, foraging through the surrounding forests and mountain for wild crops he could sell. He had initially sold the lumber and stone he got from the fields, but on Robin's suggestion, he started keeping a wood and rock pile behind the cottage. By her logic, he could keep some firewood close by for winter, and it also helped to have building supplies around. She may have been just promoting her own business, but it wasn’t a bad idea. When he had enough money for some larger investments like chickens or cattle, having the building materials ready would soften the blow to his budget.

He did, however, quickly discover that while wild crops gave him some fast cash, it wasn’t anything close to a stable income. That’s when he ran into Willy. Willy was the town’s local fishman, and older man who always smelled like seaweed and wore clothes that was usually stained and/or torn. It wasn’t a proud moment when Willy found him. The Farmer had been so desperate for money just to buy a meal that he was scouring the beach for seashells to sell. Willy didn’t say anything, simply asked if The Farmer liked fishing and gave him a spare pole. Sitting lazily on the edge of the river catching fish was much less shame-inducing than the possibility of being found caked in mud and scouting the woods for mushrooms. Plus, fish brought in slightly more money than berries and roots.

After fishing, he dropped a little money and spent most of his evening at The Stardrop Saloon. Gus – a hearty man with a handlebar mustache and a heart of gold that owned the saloon – had to be the most talented chef The Farmer had ever known. The food always tasted divine and he’d noticed that Gus was always stuffing extra portions onto his plate compared to other patrons.  He’d take the leftovers home and have them for lunch the next day. Only the taste of slightly over-microwaved home-cooked leftovers can truly feel like ‘Welcome to the town.’ 

Aside from fishing, the odd jobs posted on the bulletin board did wonders for bolstering his income. It turns out that he hadn’t misread that monster slaying post on his first day. There was an abandoned mine up in the mountains filled with monsters that would sometimes wander out at night. Living in the city for so long, The Farmer had honestly forgotten that monsters existed, but after realizing his encounter with the Junimos wasn’t a dream, he hadn’t been too surprised. Lewis often paid him for culling the monsters’ numbers, but sometimes The Wizard would begrudgingly put up fliers asking for parts of the monsters’ bodies for whatever he was cooking up in his tower.

The Wizard was probably the oddest neighbor The Farmer had ever had. And his previous neighbor from his old apartment building spent her free time lounging inside one of the buildings mechanical closets and howling at the water stains. The Wizard was often in a sour mood and was always muttering about things The Farmer didn’t understand. “I don’t even get to show up in this chapter,” he said the last time The Farmer saw him. “Only mentioned in a freaking summary.”

As for Alex, The Farmer had only seen the other man in passing. There was still mostly small talk between them, but The Farmer was already getting the impression that Alex was a little arrogant. All he talked about was gridball, and The Farmer was pretty sure the guy didn’t even have a job. Both these factors should have detracted from his attractiveness, but much to The Farmer’s frustration he still found himself stupidly attracted to the jock. Yoba, he was a sucker for dimples and a cute smile. He was doing stupid things in front of Alex; like the time The Farmer had passed by Alex’s house. Alex was out front, standing beneath the big oak tree and playing catch with himself. They’d made eye contact, and Alex told The Farmer to go long and threw the ball at him. Instead of acting like a normal person catching it with his hands, The Farmer caught the ball with his face. He swore to himself that he’d focus on his farm and stop staring after the other man like it was some school-girl crush.

And yet, he still found himself going out of the way to interact with Alex.

For example, a few weeks back there was a post on the job board from Evelyn. The Farmer had learned from talking to other villagers at the Stardrop Saloon that she was Alex’s grandmother. The post was requesting help on some secret project, and she would explain the details in person. In his stupid puppy-love logic, The Farmer thought that if he took the job he might have an excuse to talk to Alex. So, he pulled down the job posting and ran directly to their house.

To his disappointment, Evelyn answered the door. He did his best to hide it as she ushered him in. She was a very tiny woman who spoke pleasantly soft. She often leaned in when talking and squinted frequently; The Farmer had wondered on more than one occasion if she needed glasses. But Evelyn made him quickly forget his disappoint. She was the human embodiment of kindness and he genuinely enjoyed speaking with her; plus, she was always baking and the house always had a pleasant fragrance to it.

The Farmer learned that Evelyn put together flower bouquets for everyone in town when their birthday came around. Haley’s was coming up, but a recent frost had killed most of the flowers in her garden and she wanted help growing more—that’s what her job posting was about. She didn’t want to spoil the surprise in case Haley saw the post. The Farmer agreed and grew as many blue jazz and tulips as he could. Through their combined efforts, and some lucky weather, Evelyn had an overwhelming number of flowers to make Haley’s bouquet from. The older woman insisted that The Farmer be there when they presented the gift, but he declined, saying it was her idea and she should take credit. But if the sudden spike of requests for locally grown flowers was any indicator, Evelyn had mentioned his involvement to at least one person in town.

Only one thing about his farm bothered him. Everything currently growing in it was for someone else. Ideally, when he was more self-sufficient, he would be growing all his food. But currently, his farm looked like more of a backyard garden. He knew he shouldn’t be selfish, but as he gazed over the still mostly overgrown fields he had a thought.

_I guess it can’t hurt to start planning ahead._

 

* * *

 

 

 

Year: 1  
Season: Spring  
Date: 24th

 

* * *

 

“Twenty-five gold per package? Are you insane?”

“You and I both know that you still have a massive surplus of stock still sitting around, Pierre.” The Farmer was leaning over the wooden booth, wearing his best poker face. “Abby let it slip at The Saloon a few nights ago. You really should tell your daughter to be a little more tight-lipped. You never know when one of your rivals might be listening.”

Pierre met The Farmer’s look with one of his own. His arms were crossed, and he glared at The Farmer over the rim of his glasses. Pierre was the owner of the general store—aptly named Pierre’s—and was a plain-looking man with plain-looking brown hair and eyes. “And so what if I do? Some of the townsfolk have private gardens of their own.” After a pause he added, “Eighty-five gold.”

“Pierre, there’s less than a week of spring left. That’s barely enough time to grow a single harvest before the summer heat kills them. I’m willing to buy your whole stock. That way you won’t have to take any losses this month. Thirty-five.”

“But I won’t make any profit either. You and I are both competing with JojaMart now, and I need to make up for profit I lose to them. Sixty-five.”

“Hm, I see your point.” The Farmer rubbed his chin, attempting to look contemplative-like. “Forty gold.”

Pierre’s right eye twitched.

“And!” Quickly summoning all the charisma he could, The Farmer added, “You’ll get my final spring harvest for half price. Surely people will still want a taste of spring during that first week of summer.”

Pierre stared him down several moments longer. The Farmer was beginning to fear he pushed his luck too far. Pierre was literally the only place to buy seeds from other than JojaMart. Given his distaste for his former employer, he didn’t want to get himself banned from Pierre’s. He was about to recant but then Pierre broke his poker face. First came a snort, followed a massive smile. He brought a hand to cover his face, shaking his head back and forth for a moment as in disbelief. “Alright Farmer,” Pierre extended his hand. “You drive a hard bargain, but you’ve got yourself a deal. Swing by the store tomorrow.”

The Farmer took it, beaming. “Pleasure doing business with you. Now, can I also purchase that Rarecrow from you?”

Pierre gave a ‘why not’ shrug and handed the scarecrow over the counter. As money was exchanged, he said, “You know, I can’t remember the last time someone in this town tried to haggle prices with me. Honestly, it was a bit of a rush.”

“Well you better get used to it because I would never be caught dead in JojaMart.”

Pierre’s smile lost a bit of its cheer. “So, not to look a gift horse in the mouth—I really do appreciate your business—but can I ask why that is? I won’t be caught dead in JojaMart, but my reasons are obvious; they’re putting me out of business.”

The Farmer shrugged. “Nothing special really. I used to work for them but then decided I never wanted to be a part of such a soul draining process again.”

“Can’t say I argue with that logic.” Pierre waved his hand in the air. “But enough of that topic. This is a festival! Go out, dance, have some fun.” The Farmer waved goodbye and walked to an edge of the clearing. Leaning it against the fence, he set the Rarecrow down. He looked over the clearing, feeling like he stood at the edge of a painting.

The Flower Dance was a local festival here, and the location was impressive. Deeper in the forest than The Farmer had ever delved before was a small clearing that sat on the edge of a babbling brook. There were several fruit trees that lined the clearing, each one branch filled with colorful, blossoming flowers. The fence surrounding the area was lined with white banners and more flowers. Villagers wore flowers in their hair and Pierre had set up his stand to sell flowers and other goods right at the entrance of the clearing. He’d never seen so much color naturally in one place before.

Soon, he quickly recognized two small figures running towards him. Specifically, towards his newly purchased scarecrow. Jas and Vincent, the only two residents of the village under the age of ten, started bombarding him with questions.

“Can I touch it?” Vincent asked, already having climbed the fence and touching the yellow straw that made its hair. Vincent had ginger-colored hair, like his mother Jodi. His new shorts already looked like they had grass-stains on them which would surely please his mother.

“Pierre said it wasn’t a toy,” Jas said. It sounded like she was scolding Vincent, but the girl already had her hand touching the fabric of the overalls. Her black hair was tied back with a green bow and she had a round face resembling her aunt’s, Marnie. “It’s really pretty. Her face looks like a person's.”

Jas was so busy admiring the scarecrow that she didn’t notice Vincent playing with one of its arms. He surprised her by suddenly flicking one of the arms up, giggling as she squealed.

The Farmer watched them with amusement. Suddenly, he got an idea. “You know, Pierre told me something strange about this scarecrow.” Jas and Vincent exchanged a look.

“What did he tell you?” Jas asked.

“Well, whenever he would turn his back to it, it would move. Nothing big though. Just instead of it lying on the floor, he’d find it resting against the wall. Or if he left it face down, he’d find it lying face up instead.”

“You’re lying,” Vincent proclaimed.

The Farmer shrugged. “I’m just telling you what Pierre said. Apparently, this scarecrow doesn’t like its face being covered. It’s gotta be able to see everything with its eyes.”

“Well if we stare at it, it won’t move.” Vincent bravely leapt off the fence and took a step behind Jas. “Right Jas?”

“Right,” she said.

Neither child removed their eyes from the scarecrow. So, while they were distracted, The Farmer discreetly kicked the wooden post attached to it. It lurched towards Jas and Vincent, who screamed and latched onto The Farmer’s legs. The Farmer snickered to himself.

“Children!” Penny came running at their scream. “What are you doing? Are you bothering The Farmer?” Penny was the town’s school teacher. As Pelican Town’s population was less than twenty and the nearest school was a two-hour bus ride away, Penny used her teaching license to give lessons at the town’s tiny library instead. She had amber colored hair and always dressed in a yellow blouse and pencil-skirt. She often reminded The Farmer of a character from a tv show he watched as a child; a wacky woman with a magical bus.

Jas ducked behind Penny, clutching at her teacher’s skirt. “It moved!” She pointed at the Rarecrow. Vincent was right behind her, nodding his head vigorously.

“It did?” Penny glanced at The Farmer, who gave her a guilty shrug in return. She gave him a wry smile before turning to the children. “Well then why don’t you leave this to The Farmer and I. I’m sure the two of us can make it stop moving. You two find Marnie and Jodi and ask them to help you find some flowers. If you find enough, I’ll teach you how to turn them into crowns.”

Jas and Vincent both hesitated for a moment before simultaneously saying, “Okay.” Both children ran off, not daring to look back at the scarecrow. Penny turned back to The Farmer. “I’m sorry if they were bothering you.”

“No, they weren’t a bother,” The Farmer assured her. “They were just asking a lot of questions, and I may have told them a white lie.”

“About the scarecrow I assume?”

“Guess it’s not just good for scaring off birds, but also kids now.”

Penny laughed, covering her smile with a hand. The Farmer liked Penny. She was sweet and kind, qualities any good teacher should possess. After he found her for the first time wandering a part of his overgrown field—much to her embarrassment—he’d usually encounter her out in town with the two children in tow. In the rare occasions she wasn’t followed by the children, she’d take root under a tree near the town’s graveyard with a book in her lap. She was quiet, but was always full of questions, just like her students. She was one of the first people in town he’d actually call a friend.

“Ms. Penny, come on!” Vincent was calling from across the clearing, his hands already full of dandelions.

“Oh dear, I’d better go before he uproots the entire forest. But,” she gave him a small smile, not hiding it this time. “Maybe I’ll see you for a dance later?”

The Farmer’s heartbeat had a sudden spike.  _Tell her no_ _,_  he thought to himself.  _We’re just gonna be friends. Nothing beyond. She needs to know. Set the boundaries now._

But his courage faltered. “Maybe later.”

Penny waved goodbye as she walked away, leaving The Farmer alone with his scarecrow. When he was alone, his half-smile dropped off his face. He’d been trying to forget about the opening dance. Lewis mentioned it the night before when he’d picked up the crops to be shipped out. The town's bachelors and bachelorettes would pair up, putting on a traditional dance.

Looking around, there was a lot of people already splitting up into boy-girl pairings. The Farmer had zero interest in women, romantically or sexually. He imagined that if he did liv out here for the rest of his life, his sexuality would eventually become a topic. It all depended on how he went about coming out to his new neighbors. Ideally, his scenario involved building a friendship with everyone and establishing himself as a community figure—or at the very least, the loner at the edge of town— all while gracefully dodging out of any conversations pertaining to his romantic inclinations. Then when he’d casually drop it later, if anyone disapproved of his ‘lifestyle,’ they’d at least have to keep up a socially polite facade around him and keep any comments they had behind closed doors; you know, ask small town politics dictated. Depending on this town however, he might also have to start locking his door. But for now, he’d just stick to the side. Hidden under the shade of a tree; just a farmer and his scarecrow.

“My dear Farmer. What a pleasant surprise.”

And apparently the gremlin too.

The Farmer glared at Morris as he approached. Morris wore his usual smile, which was starting to unnerve The Farmer. It was hard to get Morris to not smile. It seemed impossible to get any sort of reaction out of the man that was remotely human. His face was probably stuck that way. The perfect Joja customer service robot.

“It’s a lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” Morris asked.

“I guess.” The Farmer made a dramatic motion of looking at his bare wrist. “Oh, would you look at the time! Morris, don’t you have to be somewhere to kick a puppy soon?”

“Oh, I’m sure I can reschedule. I want to make time to talk to you. Have you given any more thought to that Joja Membership? I still have the paperwork on me.”

“You still have that? Morris, you know people talk. They’ll start to think you’re in love with me.”

“Just a small fraction of the loyalty and support we provide our members with.”

“If this is how you treat non-members, what would you do if I became one? Will you move into my house and start cooking me dinner?”

“If that’s what it’d take to get you to sign up.”

The Farmer made a retching noise. “Ew. No. Gross. I’d like to keep the number of creepy little men living in my house at zero.”

“Very well. Would you like me to bring some brochures next time? I’m sure that would help convince you.”

“Go away Morris.”

Morris raised his hands defensively and backed away. As he went off to find the next unfortunate soul to solicit, The Farmer closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. Morris was more of a headache than he imagined. The Farmer thought that by simply ignoring Morris, the man would get a hint. But on one unfortunate day, Morris had taken The Farmer’s silence as a good sign and continued to yammer away for half a day as The Farmer worked in his fields. Surprisingly, the quickest way to get Morris to leave him alone was to just tell him to go away.

There was a new weight on The Farmer’s shoulders as someone threw an arm over him. “Hey farm boy, how’s it going?”

The Farmer opened his eyes to glare at the newcomer, Alex. He was pretty sure everyone here had small town syndrome, and he was the shiny new toy that everyone wanted to play with. Whenever he left the farm alone, he found he was never able to return alone. People approached him one after another and forced him into conversations about himself he didn’t want to have. Every trip to Pierre's that should have taken no more than thirty minutes was drawn out into an hour or sometimes longer. Alex was, however, an exception. He’d never once asked about The Farmer’s personal or daily life or even his family, only talked about himself. Another reason why The Farmer was so frustrated that Alex was so damn attractive.

His glare didn’t drop in hostility. He found it frustrating that Alex had found it so easy to break their touch barrier. Frustrating that every time Alex touched him, he got butterflies in his stomach. The Farmer had to keep telling himself that the only reason he felt like this was because Alex looked like he was a more grown-up version of a very common gay fantasy. He brimmed with confidence and came equip with a face that was halfway between boyishly cute and ruggedly attractive. And for Yoba’s-sake, Alex was a man who had to be in his early twenties, yet he still managed to fit into his high-school letterman jacket like a glove.

 He couldn’t speak for all gay men, but The Farmer felt pretty confident in assuming he wasn’t the only gay kid who’d spent a bored school afternoon starting out the window and day-dreaming; day-dreaming about the captain of one of the school’s sports teams coming onto him that is. Or stealing a kiss between classes behind a locker door and a conveniently placed textbook. Or running onto the court or field or whatever and throwing their arms around each other after a game-wining play and laughing joyfully without a care about who saw them.

“You know, Farmer,” Alex leaned closer to his ear and whispered. “If you couldn’t find a date for the dance, you didn’t have to make one.” His shit-eating grin said he’d just told the most hilarious joke of all time and was waiting for someone to praise him.

The Farmer found it surprisingly easy to ignore the temptation to let Alex remain so close to him. Leave it to Morris to be such a mood killer. He removed Alex’s arm from his shoulder and resumed gazing broodily out at the flower-filled clearing. “Well my fields are getting bigger. Unless you wanna volunteer to sit out there and bang pots and pans together, I needed another scarecrow to fend of the birds.”

Alex stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and leaned against the fence with The Farmer. “Wow, it’s all work and now play with you, isn’t it? With that attitude you’ll probably get rejected if you tried to ask any of the girls to dance.”

The Farmer knew Alex didn’t mean anything by it, but a prickle of fresh hostility rushed through him. Alex was just making a statement. A rather true one at that, but not for the reason Alex was thinking of. “Oh, there’d be rejections alright. But it’s okay. I’m not a great dancer anyways. My mother once said I looked like a headless chicken when I dance. Apparently, I bounce too much.”

“Well I’m sure if you asked my grandma she’d be willing to be your teacher. She already loves you for the flowers you grow.” Alex gave The Farmer a playful shove with his shoulder. “Maybe you’ll even sweep her off her feet and steal her away from my grandpa.”

“If I’m sweeping anyone off their feet, I think my best chance is with Pam. When I heard it was her birthday last week, I bought her a beer and I’m pretty sure she’s been eyeing me up ever since.”

Alex snorted before erupting into soft laughter. His eyes closed, his lips curled back into a toothy grin. And again, his dimples accented his face. The Farmer couldn’t help but stare. Yoba, here he was trying to be cynical and off-putting, but he was failing spectacularly.

Quickly, before Alex noticed him staring, The Farmer changed the topic. Maybe he could try playing nice instead. “So, since I’m the new guy in town, tell me. What else is there to do at the Flower Festival for a dateless, headless chicken like me?”

“Well most of the festival is just a bunch of dances.” Alex admitted. “At the end, everyone votes on who danced the best and we crown them that year’s Flower Prince and Princess. So, you could probably just enjoy the food and enjoy the view, if you know what I mean.”

The Farmer followed Alex’s gaze, finding Haley. Haley was the towns stereotypical beauty and The Farmer often saw her and Alex hanging out together. She had long, luscious, and voluptuous blond hair that cascaded down her next. She had a different outfit for every day of the month–plus at least two different accessories for each outfit–and pulled off each one as easily as a model on the catwalk. She was a few paces away, just out of earshot, practicing a dance for the festival. And Alex just so happened to nod towards her as she bent over, giving the two men a rather generous view.

The smile fell from The Farmer’s face, and his mood soured again. In a voice so cold it surprised even himself, he said, “Oh, I see.”

Alex frowned, looking over at him.

Before either had a chance to say anything further, Jas and Vincent ran over. Their arms were full of flowers, and fear of the Rarecrow apparently forgotten.

“We need to borrow your head,” Vincent said. “We’re gonna make crowns for you so we need to know how big it is.”

“Shhhh! That’s a secret.”

The Farmer did his best to radiate that he was deliberately not paying attention to Alex. He pushed off from the fence and kneeled down, placing hands on both of the children’s heads. “Well if it’s a secret, then I’ll make sure to not tell Ms. Penny, okay?”

“Okay!” Both children said in unison. They each took one of The Farmer’s hands and dragged him across the clearing.

Later, when flowers had been tangled into his hair, instead of being fastened into a crown, The Farmer was once again rested against the fence near his scarecrow. The opening dance was about to begin, and the dancers were in position; the boys were dressed in blue suits and the girls in lavender gowns. Alex cast several more curious glances his way, which The Farmer pretended to not notice.

He knew he was being unreasonable, and probably a little harsh for someone that barely knew him. Just shutting down mid-conversation wasn’t a great strategy when it came to making friends, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted Alex as any more than an acquaintance. Just a stupidly cute acquaintance he could safely daydream about if he felt like it. Just like it had been in high school.

Then the music started, and the dance began. When it was over, The Farmer had a hand over his mouth and there were tears in his eyes. He had to look away from what he had just witnessed.

_Dear, Yoba. None of them know how to dance._

 

* * *

 

 

 

Year: 1  
Season: Summer  
Date: 8th

 

* * *

 

“Hey Farmer!” The Farmer looked up from where he was tilling the ground. Lewis was standing on the other side of the field, waving over to him. His green and brown pickup was parked outside the cottage. “I’m picking up your shipment. Got anything else you wanna send out?”

“Yeah! I’ll be right there!” The Farmer called back. He wiped his face with his bandana, stuffed the cloth into his pocket, and ran across the field. The summer heat rolled in quickly, bringing with it a heavy humidity that wouldn’t break. He rarely went into town these days, especially when the sun was up. So, when he finished his daily field work, he often opted to lying on the floor in front of the small fan inside his cottage while listening to whatever channel his tv felt like tuning in to. Since no one visited him on the farm aside from Lewis, he was very tempted to slather himself in sunscreen and just work naked. Luckily, he didn’t have the courage needed to become an exhibitionist on his own property. He went instead with cargo shorts and a tank top, accessorized with his choice of bandana. He’d managed to clear the section of field that stretched the length of the cottage all the way to the river at the edge of the farm. Respectable work if he had to say so himself. Only half of it actually had crops growing in it, but it was better to keep the fields maintained for when he could afford to start growing.

The Farmer went inside the cottage and brought out the bundle of radishes he had harvested that morning and added them to the wooden crate. Together, the two loaded the crate into the bed of the truck.

“There we are,” Lewis swiped his hands together, as if dusting them off. “By the way, I still have to thank you for those peppers you dropped off the other day. I haven’t had farm-fresh produce in years.”

“Just repaying my promise,” The Farmer said. “But aren’t you a little early? It’s not even noon.”

“Yeah, but I gotta head into the city today. Still got a few things to sort out and pick up before the Luau. Speaking of, you’ll be bringing your best, right?”

“My best for what?”

“For the Luau!” Lewis frowned at The Farmer. “It’s in a couple of days. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

The Farmer shrugged. The few trips he did make into town were straight into Pierre’s to buy seeds and then straight back to the farm. It was too hot to focus on anything else, the community calendar included. “Oh yeah, the Luau. What do we do there again?”

“Well now that it’s warm enough to go swimming, we celebrate with some dancing on the beach and a barbecue. But,” Lewis’ eyes twinkled. “Our biggest attraction is the hot pot! Everyone in town contributes an ingredient and we mix them all together in the world's largest pot.”

“Doesn’t just throwing random ingredients together end up tasting bad?”

“Hm, you would think, wouldn’t you? But Marnie oversees the hot pot, and she can work miracles with food.” Lewis looked off blissfully into the distance. Several moments passed, and The Farmer debated giving the man a moment alone. “But anyways, we get tourists that come into town so it’s a big event for everyone. Even the Governor stops by for a bowl every year. So, you’d better make sure to bring your best crops!”

“Alright, I’ll do my best.”

The Farmer waved goodbye as Lewis got in his truck and drove away. When the truck was out of sight, he frowned. There was a meow from his feet, and The Farmer bent down to pick up the stray cat that Marnie had brought by. Marnie was his neighbor just south of the farm. She was an older woman—similar in age to Lewis—and took care of animals for a living. She had chickens, ducks, cows, and even goats on her own ranch. One day, she’d shown up with her niece, Jas, holding the bright orange stray cat. Marnie explained that the cat couldn’t stay with her because it spooked the cows and asked if The Farmer would take it in.

He accepted in a heart-beat, naming the stray cat Saber. He assumed that by naming it after its ancestor, the saber-toothed tiger, it might catch the mice running around the farm. Unfortunately, Saber turned out to be a lazy good-for-nothing who’s only talent was finding creative spots on the farm to nap. But still, it was nice to finally have an animal on the farm, even if the only use The Farmer got out of him was looking less crazy when he talked to himself.

“You know Saber,” he said to the cat, scratching his head, “I wish Lewis would have told me sooner about the Luau. I don’t think any of my crops with actually be ready in time.”

“Meow.”

“Yes, I know it’s my fault for not paying attention. But honestly, he shouldn’t put so much expectation on me. I only started working as a farmer last month.” The Farmer walked as he talked to his cat, heading back for the tools he left in the field. “You think Lewis would get mad if I brought a basket of wild grapes instead? Wild food can taste just as good if you know what to look for. I could just tell him I grew them on the farm.”

“Meow.”

“Oh hush. I could grow them on the farm if I wanted to.”

Saber didn’t reply, but instead decided he’d had enough of being carried. He wriggled out of The Farmer’s hands and trotted a few feet ahead, casting a look back at The Farmer.

“Fine, be that way, brat.” The Farmer started to gather up his discarded tools. It was hot and he’d done his daily maintenance. “I guess you just get to stay here while I go enjoy fishing by myself. See if I bring you back anything.” He picked up the shovel, but paused mid-motion. “Wait, that’s it!” He declared, righting himself suddenly and startlingly Saber. The cat regarded him warily as The Farmer turned to him. “Fish! Fish always goes with any kind of hot pot.” He smiled, proud of his ingenious idea. He started back for the cottage with Saber in tow. “You liked that sturgeon I caught for you, right?”

“Meow.”

“Of course you did.”

He half-jogged across the field, rushing into the cottage and putting the tools away. Saber jumped onto the bed and curled into a ball, ready to start his seventh nap for the day. As The Farmer cleaned himself up and got his backpack ready for the trip into the mountains, the lumber pile outside his window caught his eye. The lumber made him think of Robin. Robin lived in the mountains, Robin built stuff. Stuff like chicken coops. Chickens lay eggs, which can be used in breakfast foods. Alex liked breakfast foods.

“I wonder how much Robin charges for a chicken coop.”

“Meow.”

The Farmer spun on his cat. “Don’t you use that tone of voice with me young man.”

Saber stretched out his front paws and then rolled over so his back was to the Farmer.

“Don’t ignore me. I’m doing this for you. You’ll have some chickens you can terrorize, and you can work on getting rid of that gut.” The Farmer slung his backpack over his shoulder. Alex's words from the Flower Festival repeated in The Farmer's head. "I'm doing this for you Saber."

Saber yawned.

 

* * *

 

 

Year: 1  
Season: Summer  
Date: 9th

 

* * *

 

The whole cottage shook as the wind slammed against it. Outside the rattling window, black clouds swirled across the sky. Rain poured heavily in sheets, battering the fields. Three Junimos—purple, yellow, and orange—were gathered on the top of the television set. The purple one stood at the front, brandishing a carrot stolen from the refrigerator at their foe. The yellow eyes of the beast shone from underneath The Farmer’s bed. Purple hated that of all nights for it to storm, it had to be on its shift. This beast pursued its kind relentlessly every night. They were forced to take shifts in baiting the beast, distracting it lest it raid their home at the community center.

Outside, a tree branch snapped from the pressure of the wind and was thrown into the side of the cottage. The sound frightened Purple into dropping its makeshift weapon. At that moment, Saber charged out of hiding. He used his haunches to launch himself high enough into the air to swipe at the Junimos.

“Everyone down!” Purple cried.

The three Junimos dove in different directions. Saber’s initial attack missed, but the cat landed gracefully where the Junimos once stood. Yellow caught his eye, and Saber dove after it. There was no time to react for Yellow, who was knocked flying towards Orange by Saber’s powerful swipe.

“Yellow!” Orange rushed to its friend’s side. “Yellow, speak to me!”

“Orange, are you there?” Yellow waved its small arm out, gently touching Orange’s face.

Orange took Yellow’s hand in its own. “Yes, I’m here friend.”

“Please, you must tell Purple something for me.”

“Don’t speak like that. You’re gonna make it. You can tell Purple yourself”

“Please, tell Purple, tell them, that I always hated their, their shadow puppets...” Yellow’s hand fell out of Orange’s and slowly fell to the floor. Where it bounced dramatically. Twice.

“Yellow!” Orange cried, shaking both fists in the air.

Saber watched curiously from a distance with wide and excited eyes. His head was close to the floor and butt stuck in the air, still ready to pounce.

Yellow opened one eye half-way. “Is it working?” It whispered.

“I don’t know.” Orange whispered back. It didn’t move or look at Saber. “What do I do now? We didn’t practice any more than this.”

Saber had seen enough. He leapt into the air, claws outstretched. The two Junimos screamed, jumping out of the way, narrowly avoiding certain death.

“Up here foul beast!”

Purple soared through the air, brandishing a new weapon: one of The Farmer’s socks. Landing on Saber’s back, Purple whipped the sock across Saber’s face in an attempt to muzzle him. Saber yowled, rearing back on his hind legs to try and throw Purple off. Purple held fast for several seconds, but then the sock slipped from one of its hands. Saber bucked violently, propelling Purple into the air until the Junimo crashed into the television set. The movement knocked the remote to the floor. When it hit, the tv sprung to life. Saber started, tail puffed in fear as he gauged the new threat.

Meanwhile, the Junimos used this moment to escape and regroup behind a potted plant.

“For those of us just joining us,” the weather announcer's voice filled the cottage. “We’re currently tracking Hurricane Morton, which is expected to hit the mainland soon. Morton has been classified as a category one storm and this cell is expected to break apart quickly once it makes landfall. After tropical storms Iggy and Larry collided and fused together to form Morton, the super-cell became unstable, but also violent. All towns and cities along the coast can expect winds up to 95 miles-per-hour and heavy rainfall. The first town expected to see the effect of the storm is Pelican Town and all residents are strongly urged to stay indoors. If you haven’t evacuated to a shelter already, then don’t risk going outside. Stay away from windows and take every precaution to stay safe.”

A sudden and vicious pounding on the front door sent Saber flying under the bed. The door flew open where the rain and wind rushed in to touch whatever it could get its hands on. Two figures in raincoats entered, one holding a flashlight, and scanned the room.

“Damn, he’s not here either.” Lewis swore under his breath. “Where in Yoba’s name did The Farmer disappear to?”

The second figure, Marnie, dropped the hood of her coat went to the bedside and attempted to coax Saber out of hiding. Her light brown hair hung to one side of her head in a ponytail and she portrayed pity in her amber eyes. There was a loud snapping that drew Lewis’ attention back outside. He watched as the wind flattened two trees to the ground, their roots whipping in a naked frenzy in the rain.

“The storm’s getting worse,” Lewis said. “We need to get out of here.”

Marnie was very successful in her attempt, and now had the terrified cat safely tucked away against her breast under the raincoat. “He’s wasn’t at my ranch either. You don’t think he’s in the mountains, do you?”

“It’s about the only place we haven’t checked.” Lewis pulled his hood more tightly around his head. “Come on, let’s go back and see if he’s turned up yet.”

When the door was closed, the Junimos cautiously peeked out.

“Is it safe?” Orange asked.

“They took the beast away. It should be, for now.” Yellow said. “Do you think The Farmer is safe?”

Purple walked over the remote, looking up at the tv. The announcer was still going on, safely from the inside of the studio far away. “Again, the worst of Hurricane Morton is expected to hit Pelican Town within the hour.”

Orange and Yellow joined Purple. Purple continued looking up at the tv when it spoke. “I sure hope he is.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_ʘᗜʘ_/¯
> 
> Friend: "So how do you plan on getting Alex and The Farmer together in your fic?"  
> Me: "Property damage and physical harm."
> 
> And with this chapter we're finally over this fic's set-up! I do hope this chapter didn't feel too choppy to anyone reading it. I revised this chapter about seven times and scrapped a lot of ideas I wanted to use (basically a whole chapters worth) of interactions between The Farmer and his other neighbors because I realized it was just filler and didn't add anything to the relationship, which is what I do wanna focus on. And let's be honest, that's what we're all here for (Don't worry, there will be time for other characters in later chapters). Next chapter will be (mostly) from Alex's perspective, so look forward to it!
> 
> I'm attempting to keep this pattern of updating every two weeks, so expect the next one early/mid September. As always, if you wanna see my progress, or you just wanna yell at me outside of the comments section, my tumblr is [here.](http://shippingmyworld.tumblr.com/)


	4. The Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally don’t like putting notes at the beginning of a fic, but there’s something I need to address quickly. I’ve forgotten if AO3 gives email alerts if a chapter is updated, but if not, there have been some minor edits to chapter 3. Nothing that will really affect the plot of the story, but if you read chapter 3 before September 9th, 2017, these are the changes: Saber and the Junimos have their battle on the night of the 9th, rather than the 10th, and I downgraded the severity of the hurricane. I did these for a few reasons. Mainly to do with current events: Harvey, Irma, and Maria. I’d always planned to use a hurricane as a plot device from when I first plotted out the story, but I published chapter 3 right before Harvey hit. After seeing the effects of the storm and realizing Irma was coming in very quickly, this left a bad taste in my mouth. So I cut a lot of the dramatization I previously had published. I live in a very landlocked state, so I’d never really understood the true carnage a hurricane can do until recently. This is also why I downgraded the storm, because I’m not planning on destroying Pelican Town. The date was changed because during rewrite I didn’t think that a single night would be enough to clean-up/rebuild before the Luau.

 

Year: 1  
Season: Summer  
Date: 9th

 

* * *

 

The Stardrop Saloon was packed to the breaking point. The bar didn’t have nearly enough chairs to accommodate the entire village; many people had taken up residence on the floor, huddled together in small groups. It was difficult to move without accidentally kicking or stepping on someone. Which is something Robin was apologizing to Clint—the town’s blacksmith—for doing for the seventh time that night. Robin was one of the few people up and moving around, pacing in what little space was available to her and muttering.

Alex didn’t pay her a lot of mind, doing his own fussing instead. “Are you sure you’re alright grandpa? I’m sure I can get you another blanket if you need it.”

George snapped. “Gosh dangit, I’m fine boy. I’ve got everything I need.” George was still a little wet from being wheeled into the saloon, and a towel hung around his shoulders. Though their house was the closest, they had been some of the last to arrive thanks to George’s stubbornness. He refused to leave the house, even after a loose tree branch shattered a window in their kitchen. His family won out though—given that he was bound to his wheelchair—and he protested every moment of being pushed through the wind and mud by Alex.

George looked down at the picture frame in his hands. It showed a woman and man, holding a newborn baby Alex in their arms; the man's face had been cut out of the photo. In a quieter voice he added, “Everything important at least.”

Alex had parked George’s wheelchair under the wooden bear statue to be closer to the fire. Dusty, in all his bravery, had taken up residence underneath the wheelchair and whimpered whenever the winds rattled the foundation. Evelyn sat in the booth nearby with Penny, and together the two of them played cards with Jas and Vincent to distract the children from the storm. Alex sat between them on the floor.

The front doors slammed open from the wind, and two people, Haley and her sister Emily, rushed in from the storm. Both were soaking wet and without raincoats. The doors were closed and Gus approached the two with towels. Alex waved the two over after they had toweled off.

“Alexxxxxxx,” Haley whined as she collapsed dramatically over his lap. She was damp with the towel still wrapped around her shoulders. She brought the back of her hand to her forehead and sniffled. “I just had the worst five minutes of my life. First our windows get blown out, throwing glass all over the house, and then our power goes out!”

“It was rather difficult trying to sense where our raincoats were in the dark,” Emily said as she sat down across from them. You’d never be able to tell the sisters were related unless someone told you. Emily was a few years older and stood several inches taller than her sister. She had short purple hair, and some days it seemed like she cut it herself. “We eventually gave up. The wind also made it rather difficult to walk normally. Luckily, I was able to make the trip without the use of my sight. I could feel everyone's aura gather in this place and followed the trail.”

Haley cast a glare of annoyance at her sister. “You just won’t admit that the wind spun you around.” She looked back up at Alex. “I swear, the wind is so strong I was lifted off the ground for a solid two seconds. It’s like this storm is targeting me personally.”

The lights in the saloon flickered.

“Well I’m taking that as a sign to throw you out.” Alex smiled at her playfully. “It’s for the good of the town.”

Haley sat up with a glare painted on her face. “Don’t you even dare.”

“Excuse me,” Robin walked over to the group, addressing Haley and Emily. “I don’t suppose either of you have seen The Farmer?”

Haley exchanged a look with her sister and shrugged.

“Sorry, we didn’t,” Emily said.

Robin frowned. Alex could feel the agony she expelled, like a wave washing over him at the beach. Her eyes darted around the saloon, desperately searching. “Nobody's seen him today. I saw him yesterday when he came to hire me to build a chicken coop, but that’s apparently the last time anyone saw him.”

“He’ll be fine,” George grumbled. “That cottage has stood for decades. A little storm won’t blow it over or kill anyone.”

Morris, who was nursing a drink at the bar, muttered to himself, “Maybe if the storm kills him, the mayor will just give me the community center.”

Robin didn’t hear Morris. “But that’s what I’m worried about,” she lamented. “It may have been a sturdy cottage, but it’s been nearly two decades since there’s been anyone to properly take care of it, who knows-”

“Pah,” George interrupted with a wave of his hand. “He’s got it better than any of us. He gets a cozy little home all to himself that’s uphill. Meanwhile, we’re all stuffed like sardines only two steps from the river. The second that riverbank breaks we’re as good as dead.”

Jas dropped her cards. Her voice was very quiet and tears formed in her eyes. “We’re gonna die?”

“George!” Evelyn snapped at her husband while Penny calmly assured the two children.

“What? If that lazy good-for-nothing mayor had actually bothered keeping the community center in shape, we’d be there instead of this deathtrap.” George’s small rant hadn’t gone unnoticed. Many of the villagers nearby now stared blankly at the wall or floor, any previous conversations forgotten. Sam, Vincent’s older brother, seemed to take it the worst. He had curled himself into a ball against the far wall, tightly gripping the back of his neck. His friends, Sebastian and Abby, knelt down on either side of him, exchanging a gloomy expression while both kept a comforting hand on Sam’s back.

Then, the front doors slammed open again. Lewis and Marnie had returned, but Robin’s expression fell when she realized they returned alone. Gus also frowned, but because Marnie had produced Saber from her jacket. “Marnie, you’re bringing an animal in here?”

“Oh, the poor creature was terrified, Gus.” She set Saber down.

Under the sudden gaze of every eye in the room, Saber charged towards the booth which Jas sat at. Jas may not be The Farmer, but she had been the one who had originally found and nursed Saber back to health when he was a stray. It would be safe to be with her for now.

Marnie pulled back the hood of her raincoat. “He was all alone in that little house in the middle of this giant storm. Anyone would be terrified. Besides, you’ve already got Dusty in here.”

“Alone?” Robin approached the group, accidentally stepping on Clint again while crossing the room. “You didn’t find The Farmer?”

Lewis shook his head grimly. “The cottage was empty. We searched the farm but didn’t find him anywhere.”

“He may have gone looking for higher ground,” Marnie offered. “Maybe he’s headed for your place?”

Robin bit the inside of her cheek. “He’s in more danger in the mountains. We had a lot of rain this spring and there were several downed trees on the paths. One even fell on our house.”

“There was also that earthquake a few days ago,” Demetrius added, having stood up to join his wife. He was one of the tallest residents of the village. He had dark-brown skin and a thin build very unlike his wife’s more muscular one. Where Robin took up carpentry, Demetrius studied science and often spent most of his time in his at-home lab. “It’s likely there will be some landslides with all this rain.”

“Honey…”

Demetrius looked at his wife, realization dawning on him when he saw her face. “Oh, I’m sorry Robin.” He kissed her cheek and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I’m just stating the facts. I’m sorry.”

Robin turned into her husband's embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's alright. I know."

Lewis turned to Gus. “Have you managed to check on everyone and see how they’re holding up?”

“No need.” Gus gestured to the filled saloon. “Haley and Emily ran in a few minutes before the two of you. Aside from The Farmer, everyone is here. Well,” Gus stroked his mustache, “Linus hasn’t turned up either, but that’s no surprise. He’s always had an aversion to people. Anyways, he’s survived worse.”

“He’ll be fine,” Lewis agreed. “But I am worried about The Farmer.” He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Then, Lewis clapped his hands and raised his voice to address the saloon. “Alright everyone, listen up! Marnie and I just came back from checking her place and The Farmer’s. Currently, The Farmer is missing. I want volunteers to help search the town with me.”

The lights in the saloon flickered once more, blanketing everyone in a prolonged silence.

Robin was first to break it. She removed herself from Demetrius and addressed the room. “The storm is getting worse,” she said. “But that’s all the more reason we should look for him. He hasn’t been here long, but he’s a part of our community. If he’s out there and hurt, I don’t think I could forgive myself for staying cooped up in here.” Her voice fell away towards the end of her statement.

People began murmuring to each other.

“She right,” George said. “Alex, you should volunteer.”

Alex looked over at his grandfather. “What-?”

George huffed and cut him off. “Look, I’d be out there looking for him if I could. That boy’s been helping out the town since the day he moved in, despite the injury your dog inflicted on him.” Dusty whined under the wheelchair. “Besides, your grandma would be devastated if she lost her flower-growing partner.”

Alex was starting to stand before his grandfather finished. “You know, you don’t have to try and guilt me into doing it. I was gonna volunteer anyways.” He offered a hand to Haley, “You wanna come too?”

Haley looked away from the hand guiltily. “I don’t think I’d be much use. That wind would knock me over the second I walked out the door. I’ll stay here and make sure you all have dry towels when you get back instead,” she offered with a half-smile.

“Good luck,” Emily said to Alex.

“Be safe!” Evelyn called after him as he walked away.

Alex joined the group of volunteers gathering around Lewis. It looked like Demetrius, Abigail, Sebastian, Pam, Clint, and Marlon had also stepped forward.

Lewis was currently addressing Harvey and Maru. “Sorry, but I’d like you two to stay here. If The Farmer is hurt, I want to know where to find you.” Harvey nodded and Maru frowned, but she didn’t protest it.

“Alright, as for the rest of you,” Lewis said, “We’ll split into three groups. Pam, Clint, Marlon—I want you three to check the southern part of town and then the beach. Abigail, you come with Marnie and I, and we’ll do another sweep through the forest. Alex, you go with Demetrius and Sebastian and check the mountains and quarry. They know the area better so stick with them. Gus has extra raincoats and flashlights, and please stay safe. No one is to go off on their own. Is that understood?”

Everyone agreed. Alex got a yellow raincoat and flashlight from Gus, and once Sebastian and Demetrius were ready, the three stepped out into the storm. 

* * *

 

To say the weather had gotten worse since Alex had relocated his grandparents to the saloon would be an understatement. The rain pelted his face and he couldn’t hear anything beyond the wind's gnashing of his coat. The rain fell in sheets, almost sideways, and felt like a thousand needles. The sheer volume of it made it hard to see more than a few yards in front of the group.

It was only after an exhausting climb towards Robin’s home had Alex realized how powerful the storm was. He stopped counting the number of felled trees that they had to climb after the seventh one. The path had been reduced to mud—if it could even be called a path anymore. Alex felt like he was wading through a swamp rather than trekking up a mountain path. Each step forward expended too much energy, leaving him feeling exhausted and broken. He didn’t even have time to check the woods around the path.

When Robin’s home came into view, Alex saw the fallen tree she had mentioned. Luckily enough it didn’t look like the tree had damaged the house much; it had simply fallen against the home. The three hadn’t said a word to each other since they left, or if the other two had, Alex didn’t hear them. Demetrius made his way over to his home, gesturing for the two boys to follow. He went inside while Alex and Sebastian searched for any signs of The Farmer outside. Demetrius rejoined them, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Let’s check by the mine next.” They were huddled together to better hear each other, but Sebastian still had to yell to be heard over the storm. “He could have taken shelter there.”

Demetrius nodded and the two turned away towards the lake. Alex moved to follow, but then he saw it.

The flash of a red bandana.

It soared overhead, flying over Robin’s home from higher in the mountains. The wind carried it in a hazardous pattern, dropping suddenly and yanked back and forth by its invisible hands like it was being fought over. The bandana flew back towards the house, and Alex chased it. The wind played with him, yanking the bandana just out of his grasp and back up the path that ran towards the spa. After several fruitless attempts to catch it out of the air, he eventually got lucky. It got snagged on a low-hanging tree branch, and Alex grabbed it before it flew away again.

Gripping it between his fisted fingers, Alex turned his gaze up the path. _He’s gotta be at the spa_ , Alex thought to himself. He turned to yell back at Demetrius and Sebastian, only to realize he’d forgotten to call out to them and they were already gone. Debating if he should fall back and regroup, or push forward, Alex found his decision made for him when Linus’ body collided with his.

Being much smaller than Alex, Linus tumbled to the ground while Alex remained upright. Linus was the only homeless guy in Pelican Town. He lived in a small tent in the mountains and would occasionally be spotted by other villagers on the edge of town stealing leftover out of people’s trash like a raccoon. He looked like a rattier version of Lewis, only his business casual outfit was yellowed animal skins and he kept his white hair and beard long and wild.

Linus flailed for several seconds like a startled animal when he fell. But then he realized he had found another person. He jumped up, only to fall to his knees, and clasped his hands together. “Please, you have to help me! No, him. You have to help him!”

“Help who?”

“The Farmer! He’s hurt. I don’t know what to do!” Linus started crying, or maybe he had been crying the whole time. It was hard for Alex to tell in the storm. Linus wailed, “He’s given me food when I was hungry! But now that he’s hurt I can’t do anything for him! I don’t know what to do!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Alex placed a hand on Linus’s shoulder. He generally avoided the hobo, and talking to him felt a little awkward, but he needed Linus to calm down. Alex attempted to speak in the most calming voice he could over the storm. “It’s gonna be okay. Everyone in town is looking for him. Where is he?”

Linus’ bottom lip quivered before he spoke. “I brought him to the spa. I don’t-”

“You don’t know,” Alex interrupted. “I know. You said he’s hurt. How badly?”

“Bad! Really, really bad!”

Alex tried to not get too frustrated at the descriptiveness of the answer. “Linus, I need you to do something. Harvey is at the saloon. Can you go get him and bring him to the spa?”

Linus nodded quickly but stopped. “Wait. What about The Farmer?”

“I’ll take care of him until you get back.” When Linus still looked like hesitating, he added, “I promise. You need to get Harvey. That’ll help The Farmer.”

Linus swallowed before nodding again. His face hardened, and he stood upright, saluting Alex like a solider would to his superior officer before charging down the mountain path. He bizarrely leapt over a fallen tree in his way, doing a somersault while in the air.

_Okay,_  Alex thought.  _That was weird._

He could have just as easily gone back, why didn’t he? Why did he feel that he needed to see that The Farmer was actually safe? He wasn’t given much time to ponder his thoughts. The wind suddenly grew much more frenzied around him. The multi-popping snaps of a tree’s roots being torn from the earth filled his ears.

One of the trees on the edge of the path plummeted towards him. Reacting on instinct, Alex dove forwards, pulling himself out of harm's way barely in time. The flashlight tumbled out of his grip and its light was swallowed by the storm. He rolled in the mud to look back at the now blocked path. Even if Linus did get to Harvey soon, it would be impossible to reach the spa.

There was more violent snapping from the woods. Alex scrambled to his feet, not bothering to wipe the mud from himself. The sound of displaced earth and falling trees filled the wind. He charged up the mountain path, fueled by the fear of being caught in whatever behind him sounded like two trains colliding. Once he broke free of the path and into the clearing, Alex didn’t stop. The rain was needles against his skin as he ran for the spa. Throwing the door open, he slammed it shut behind him.

The spa was dark. The emergency lights were sparsely placed, shedding very little light over the hallways. Despite being separate from the main power, every time the building moaned, the lights flickered. The flickering was more akin to that of a horror movie than a hot spring, and Alex felt a chill. Hoping he wasn’t making a mistake, he pulled his phone from his pocket—only slightly damp—and turned on the flashlight function.

Something metal fell against the floor. Alex jumped, ready to go back into the storm. But further down the hallway he heard someone mutter a string of soft curses.

_The Farmer is here, and he’s hurt._  Alex reminded himself. He forced himself to swallow his meaningless fear and walked towards the sound. As the opening for the locker bay loomed closer, the cursing grew louder. Tentatively, Alex shined the phone into the bay.

Light fell across The Farmer’s body. He was sitting up with his back to Alex, but Alex knew it was The Farmer immediately. It was hard to not recognize the ratty flannel shirt and unkempt hair—even when they were soaking wet. The emergency light on the wall was dark, making Alex’s phone the only source of light. The door to one of the lockers was lying on the floor nearby, its hinges bronze with rust.

The Farmer turned his head and brought a hand to shield his eyes, like a man who had been trapped underground for several days. “Linus?” The Farmer asked.

“Nope.” Alex placed the phone down on the floor so that it could shine up into the room. It cast a thin veil of light over the two of them, dimly illuminating features of their bodies. Alex knelt down next to The Farmer and tried to smile at him. “Guess again.”

The Farmer squinted, “Alex? What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We were looking for you.”

The Farmer looked beyond Alex. “We?”

“Well, it’s just me here.” Alex explained. “I was with Sebastian and Demetrius, but we got separated.”

“Why are you guys out in the storm?” The Farmer moved to stand up, but a pained expression shot across his face when he tried to stand.

Alex’s forced smile dropped. He started to reach a hand out, but left it awkwardly hanging in the air before dropping it after realizing he was unsure of what to do. He moved to The Farmer’s side, realizing the other man couldn’t rise. “Are you alright?”

The Farmer grimaced. “Relatively speaking, I am. My ankle’s killing me though.”

Alex looked down The Farmer’s leg; he had the pants on his left leg rolled up to his knee. A disgusting reddish-blue lump had sprouted up over his ankle. Alex reached out and gingerly touched it, drawing a painful hiss from The Farmer. He offered a quick apology. “That’s not a surprise. It looks like you probably sprained it. Here, let me help you.”

Taking The Farmer’s arm and throwing it over his shoulder, Alex shifted so that The Farmer could lean into him. The Farmer was very quiet, and it seemed as if he was keeping his gaze purposefully away from Alex’s face. Alex thought it was a strange thing for him to notice, so he chalked it up to his imagination. The two worked in silence on getting The Farmer up onto the small wooden bench that stretched across the middle of the room.

When The Farmer was seated, he repeated his question. “So why were you out in the storm?”

“I could ask you the same question. Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be out in a hurricane? Is that how you were hurt?”

A guilty look flashed across The Farmer’s face. “I was,” he hesitated, “fishing.”

“Fishing.”

“Yeah, fishing. I lost track of time and misjudged when I should have gone back. I was heading home when I lost my footing and the next thing I knew, Linus was dragging me into the spa.”

Alex frowned. He felt like he should let it drop at this point, but he continued. “You really need to be more careful. Everyone in town was worried about you. I swear to Yoba, I saw the hairs on Robin’s head turn gray one by one.”

Before The Farmer could respond, Alex’s phone began ringing. He picked it up, announcing first to The Farmer, “It’s Lewis.” Then into his phone, “Hello?”

“Alex, my boy! Thank goodness you’re alright. Sebastian and Demetrius came back without you and said they thought you had gone back ahead of them. Where are you?”

“I’m at the spa right now. The Farmer’s with me too.”

“He—you found him?” Lewis’ voice turned away as he shouted to the people in the saloon. “Alex found The Farmer!”

There was a roaring cheer that came through the earpiece. It was so loud, even The Farmer managed to hear it resonate from Alex’s phone. His expression melted and was hard for Alex to read, even more so now that the light from his phone was turned away.

The sound of a slight scuffle came from the phone, and then Robin’s voice came through it. “Alex! Please, let me talk to him.”

Alex handed the phone over, but The Farmer offered only a confused look. “Robin wants to talk to you,” Alex explained.

The Farmer took it, and after a tentative, ‘Hello?’ he jumped. Alex couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the sound of Robin’s worried voice still reached him. The Farmer reassured her over and over that he was really okay, in addition to offering multiple apologies.

While The Farmer talked with Robin, Alex’s eyes became adjusted to the darkness of the room. Then the first thought he had was how strange The Farmer’s expression was. When Alex usually saw him, his resting face was a neutral expression; his mouth never giving any inclination of a smile nor a frown. If he did show anything, it always felt practiced and ingenuine. Kind of like the girl behind the register at the JojaMart. It was little things in The Farmer’s expression that stuck out. Like the worried crinkle of his forehead as he thought of what to say.

After a couple of minutes passed, The Farmer handed the phone back. “Lewis wants to talk to you.”

Alex took it, and Lewis started speaking immediately. “Now Alex, I want you to be truthful with me while Robin is out of earshot and isn’t trying to steal my phone. Are either of you seriously hurt?”

“I’m fine, just a little wet and muddy. The Farmer,” Alex glanced over at him, his eyes sweeping down to the swollen ankle. “He hurt his ankle. I think it’s sprained.”

Lewis repeated his words quietly to someone on the other end before addressing Alex again. “Harvey says to keep The Farmer from using his leg as much as possible. We’ll try and get up there as soon as possible.”

“Actually, that might be an issue. On my way here, I think there was a small landslide,” Alex explained. “There’s at least five trees blocking the path and a whole lotta mud.”

“Hm, you don’t say.” For some reason, Alex imagined Lewis twirling the tips of his mustache. “Well in that case, you boys should buckle down and prepare for a long night. As soon as the storm breaks we’ll call for an ambulance and start on clearing the path up. In the meantime, make sure you both stay warm and don’t catch a cold.”

The Farmer sneezed.

“Until then, I wish you well!”

Just as Lewis finished talking, Alex heard a clamoring in the background accompanied by wind. It was followed by a familiar voice. “Help, help please! He’s hurt!” Linus’s voice cried. Looks like the hobo made it just a few minutes too late. Alex hung up, pocketing his phone this time. He repeated to The Farmer what Lewis told him.

“Well that’s great. But I doubt I’ll catch a col-” The Farmer cut himself off with a sneeze. Alex tried not to laugh as the other man sniffled and sighed. “I don’t suppose you think these other lockers might have a towel or something? I was looking for one to dry off with." He gestured at the metal door on the floor, “But when I opened the first one that didn’t have a lock on it, the hinges disintegrated.”

“You mean you were gonna just raid people's lockers?” Alex mockingly gasped.

“Given the situation, I think I’d be forgiven by the people. Besides, wasn’t this place abandoned like my farm? Who even owns this place?”

“I’m pretty sure the town owns it, like the community center. And this place wasn’t willingly abandoned.” Alex walked over to one of the lockers with a combination padlock. He began spinning it. “About a year ago there was a small earthquake. No real damage, but it did shake a few rocks loose and block the path here. Joja promised they’d clear the path as soon as possible—a gesture of community service—but they took their sweet time about it.”

The Farmer snorted. “When don’t they?”

Alex shrugged. “Well, this place is used more than the community center. There’s a workout room here that I use during winter. So you’re in luck. I’m one of those people that do have a locker here.” Alex tugged on the lock, and it came open. He rummaged in it for moment before throwing The Farmer green sweats, a white tank top, and a towel. “It’s not much, but at least it’s dry.”

The Farmer stared at the clothing, the look on his face a mixture of disgust and bewilderment. “You’re giving me a pair of your nasty workout clothing?”

“Clean, workout clothing.” Alex emphasized. “I always keep an extra set or two in my locker in case I feel like coming here twice a day. But anyways, there’s a natural hot springs downstairs we can use. I wanna get this mud out of my hair, and we should probably both soak for a bit to make sure we don’t catch a cold.”

“We-,” The Farmer sneezed. “We-, we should what?”

Alex had stripped off his raincoat and varsity jacket and stuffed them into his locker. He glanced over at The Farmer’s stuttering. “Well yeah. Didn’t you ever have someone shove you into the bathtub after playing out in the rain as a kid?”

“I was more of the sit-inside-and-watch-the-rain kinda kid rather than a play-in-the-rain kid. But I actually don’t think I need to-” The Farmer sneezed again. After a moment of silence, his head hung, he said in a quiet voice. “Okay, I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

Alex wasn’t quite sure how to take The Farmer’s current actions. Maybe he’d never been to a public gym? No, that was too unlikely. Alex shrugged it off, grabbing a change of clothing and a towel for himself. He closed the locker and then knelt down with his back to The Farmer.

“Alex...What are you doing?”

“Harvey said you should stay off that leg. It’ll be easier to get you downstairs if I carry you on my back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah it’ll be fine. Besides, I never skip leg day!” Alex added, sounding as cheerful as he could.

The Farmer hesitantly wrapped his arms around Alex and pulled himself onto the other man's back. Alex shifted slightly to accommodate for The Farmer’s weight, gripped the underside of The Farmer’s knees, and stood up quickly. There was a sharp intake of breath from The Farmer, and Alex heard him swear under his breath.

“Are you okay?” He asked, worried he’d done something wrong. Did he accidentally hurt him?

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I’m fine.” The Farmer mumbled.

Alex mentally shrugged off his worry, and then proceeded towards the basement. The emergency lights lit their way, their presence, now, oddly calming. As he descended the stairs and walked through the doorway marked  _‘Men’s Showers,’_  the air got hot and dense. The hot springs were natural, and the building simply built around it. It was mostly used by the townsfolk, but it was fairly popular with any tourists or travelers that ended up staying at Gus’ place. George had once told Alex when he was younger, that the showers had to be built so people didn’t track filth into the hot springs themselves.  _“They’re all natural,”_  George said,  _“So we can’t filter them like we normally do with other water.”_

In the showers’ entry room, there were cubbies on the walls and a wooden bench between them. On one wall devoid of the cubbies, there was a place marked  _‘USED TOWELS’_  over an empty bin, next to an equally empty rack that had a sign over it reading  _‘ONE TOWEL PER PERSON.’_  Alex had never once seen any towels since he was a child. Everyone in town who frequented the spa either brought their own or kept some in locker. Alex set The Farmer down on the bench and then began to strip. He didn’t think anything of it, storing his clothes in one of the empty cubbies and then wrapping the towel around his waist.

Turning to The Farmer, expecting him to be ready, Alex found The Farmer remained where Alex had left him. Unseen by Alex, The Farmer had snapped his head in the opposite direction once the man had dropped his pants. The Farmer was wide-eyed, his brains somewhat on the crispy side.

Alex tilted his head slightly, an eyebrow curiously rising. “What’s wrong?”

The Farmer didn’t answer. He glanced over, releasing a small breath now that Alex wasn’t naked. His eyes strained to not once-over the other man’s body. Not obviously at least.

To Alex, his expression looked like he was processing several hundred thoughts all at once. His mouth opened several times, but he failed to produce any words. But, given an awkward minute of silence between them, he finally managed. “I-, I think I’ll need-, need some help with, ah, with my pants.”

Alex’s gaze went immediately down to The Farmer’s ankle, and he felt a flash of embarrassment. He’d simply gone into autopilot, not used to visiting with another person. Much less a person with a likely sprained ankle. He probably should have waited to change until he had helped The Farmer into the hot springs first.

“Oh, right.” Alex wanted to smack himself. Was that really the best response he could think of? The air between the two of them was more awkward than ever, and now Alex was only in a towel. He barely knew The Farmer, and here he was stripping down in front of him. Yoba only knows what The Farmer thought of him now. Maybe he really hadn’t been to a public gym before.

Alex walked over to him. “Here,” Alex offered and knelt down, “You can lean on me to change.”

“Thanks…”

The Farmer placed his arm around Alex’s shoulder again. Alex respectfully looked away as The Farmer started the struggle of taking his pants off with one hand. It took him so long that Alex almost told him that he’d help. But he bit his tongue, realizing the implications that might bring.

Eventually, The Farmer got his clothes off and a towel wrapped around his waist as dignified as he could. They said nothing to each other as Alex helped The Farmer hobble—there was no way he was gonna offer a piggyback ride again. Alex brought him through the next room, the actual showers, and into the final room with the hot springs. He’d noticed The Farmer was considerably less muddy than him and probably didn’t need the showers. Plus, he didn’t think the two of them sharing a shower head would benefit the current situation. He tried to say something, explain his actions, but found it difficult to put his thoughts into actual words.

The Farmer didn’t say anything about the showers anyways, so Alex eventually got The Farmer to take the first step into the water. Figuring he was okay now that he was in the water, Alex quickly stammered out that he was going to rinse off the mud first and dashed as naturally as he could back to the showers.

Once alone, he released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He frowned, upset at why he felt so tense around The Farmer. He hung his towel on a nearby hook and turned the handle. Thankfully it still worked, even with the electricity out, and Alex let lukewarm water wash over him and his thoughts drift.

When he had first approached The Farmer, it was out of guilt. After their initial meeting had involved the accident with Dusty, Alex had wanted to make sure the new neighbor didn’t already hate his dog. He couldn’t live with himself if he’d made a stranger into a dog-hater instead of a dog-lover. Who didn’t love dogs anyways?

But that guilt had quickly faded away when it was apparent the other man didn’t hold a grudge. Alex often saw The Farmer during his shopping trips to Pierre's, but aside from festivals that was about the only time Alex saw him. He’d kept approaching The Farmer every time he saw the other man, but why was he doing that?

Alex put his head against the wall, frowning down at his feet. The current mood between the two of them felt like it had back during the Flower Festival. If he just left it alone, maybe it’d go away. They weren’t friends. Just neighbors.

So why did he feel he had to fix something?

It was probably curiosity, like everyone else in the village, that drew Alex to The Farmer. That’s the reason he wanted to be on good terms with the other man. After all, it’s not often you hear of someone suddenly moving into an abandoned farm. Who wouldn’t be curious?

Alex turned off the water once he’d washed the last of the mud from his hair. As he wrapped the towel around himself, he thought of how he should walk back into the hot springs. He racked his brain, going over their interactions since he’d found The Farmer. It was around the time he’d suggested they wash off that The Farmer’s attitude had changed. Was The Farmer the type of guy to find that sort of thing awkward? Yoba if Alex knew. A month had gone by and he still didn’t know a thing about the town's newest resident.

He heard The Farmer sneeze again. And here he was just stalling for time. It’d be worse if Alex didn’t go back into the hot springs. So, he swallowed his anxiety and left the showers.

The Farmer was submerged in the water, all the way to his nose. He sat at one of the edges pools edges with his eyes closed. They opened when he heard Alex approach.

The Farmer didn’t say anything, but rose slightly so the water was chest level, and closed his eyes again. His towel sat folded on the ledge near the handrail. Alex dropped his own towel near it, forgoing any time to fold it, and quickly submerged himself in the water. His chosen spot was what he judged to be a respectable distance. Not too far to look like he was purposefully ignoring The Farmer, and not to close as to raise the question of  _‘Why did you feel that’s necessary with all this space? What’s wrong with you?’_

Alex didn’t say anything. Not that he had the first idea on what he should say anyways. Maybe they could just sit in silence like this and wait for the storm to pass. This totally not awkward silence. Yoba that was a bad idea. He felt like something needed to be said. Anything needed to be said. He could cluck like a chicken and that wouldn’t be nearly as bad as this silence.

“You know,” The Farmer spoke suddenly. Alex tried his best not to jump, surprised that the other man was the one starting the conversation. “I’m a little surprised you have a locker here. You don’t seem like to type of person to lounge in hot springs.”

The Farmer was looking at him now. The directness of his gaze and the situation made Alex just start to spit up whatever he could think of. “Well there is a weight room and gym upstairs. I mostly use it during the winter, but when I feel like a change of pace I sometimes come here to work out.”

“Right, you’re always saying how you wanna be a pro gridball player.”

"Yeah!” Alex felt a wash of relief. Gridball, he could talk about that. That was easy. “If I got onto a team I’d want it to be the Green Bay Twins or Tornado Sharks. They’re not my favorite teams, but they’d at least be nearby.”

“You really think you got a chance?”

Alex nodded. “I know most players are recruited out of high school and then college, but some teams hold open tryouts once a year. That just means I gotta work hard and work out every day to achieve my dream.” Alex beamed. “You should join me sometime. It’s always more fun to have a workout buddy.”

The Farmer quirked an eyebrow. “What, are you saying I look kinda flubby? ‘Cus I’ll have you know doing hard labor on a farm day after day is making me pretty buff.” The Farmer lifted his arms out of the water and flexed them, hilariously showing off his non-existent biceps.

Alex snorted. “Okay, I’ll admit they’re better when you first got here. You used to have twigs for arms, but now they’re more like saplings.”

“Right?” The Farmer smiled. “I bet I could take on a bear with these puppies.”

“I think it’s my duty as a fellow human being to recommend you start with something smaller. Maybe a rabbit.”

The Farmer snorted too, which quickly became laughter. It was infectious, and Alex joined in. The tension and awkwardness melted away. When another silence fell over them, it didn’t feel nearly as choking.

“Hey Alex,” The Farmer spoke up again. “I wanna thank you.”

“Thank me? Why?”

“Well, for coming to find me.”

“Oh. You don’t have to thank me for that. A lotta people volunteered. You mean a lot to the town. Everyone’s gotta look out for each other here and we’re both part of the valley. I was just the one lucky enough to find you.”

“Still though,” The Farmer fell silent for a minute. His expression said there was something on his mind. Something that he wanted to say. But after a small shake of his head, his eyes connected directly with Alex’s. “Thank you, Alex.”

Alex’s chest felt light, and he was aware of how flushed his face felt. He was probably just overheated from the water. So, he ignored it and smiled back. “You’re welcome.” 

* * *

 

It was nearly midnight when the hurricane finally dissipated, but it took another hour for the townsfolk to forge a path up to the spa. When the final tree was cleared Robin broke ahead of the rest. She threw open the front door, finding Alex and The Farmer waiting for them. She immediately threw herself at The Farmer and pulled him into a bear hug. Given that The Farmer was leaning against Alex to stand, he was also pulled into the tear-filled hug.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Robin wailed. “I was so worried.”

The Farmer patted her back with his one free hand. “It’s fine Robin. Alex made sure to take care of me.”

Robin pulled away, wiping a tear from her eye. She turned to Alex, “Thank you Alex.”

“Ah, I-,” Alex stammered. “You’re welcome?”

Several more people entered, but unlike Robin, they didn’t throw themselves at The Farmer. A multitude of questions about their well-being were asked repeatedly. Harvey pushed himself to the front of the group, instructing Alex to help The Farmer to one of the benches so he could conduct a proper examination. The doctor forced everyone out, but Alex still hung around in the background in case he was needed. However, during the examination The Farmer had an unexpected visitor.

“Meow!”

“Saber?” The cat leapt into The Farmer’s lap, rubbing his head affectionately into his human’s stomach. “What in the world are you doing here?”

“Meow!”

At that moment, Marnie rushed back into the room. She was slightly out of breath, and her worried expression fell off her face when she saw Saber in The Farmer’s lap. “Oh good,” she said. “I was afraid he’d try and explore and fall into one of the baths.”

Saber’s affections didn’t stop, and the cat tried crawling up The Farmer’s chest. He nuzzled his head against The Farmer’s body, purring happily that his human was okay. Marnie quickly explained how they found him alone when they were searching for him.

“When the storm broke and we mentioned your name, he followed us out of the saloon,” she said. “You’ve got a very loyal cat on your hands.”

Saber had now climbed up The Farmer’s chest and wrapped himself around The Farmer’s shoulders. He looked more like a scarf than a cat, purring louder than before. “He’s a little out of my hands now,” The Farmer joked, giving Saber a scratch under his chin. “I’m sure he was just worried about losing his source of food. Isn’t that right big guy?”

“Meow?”

Harvey coughed politely. “Well your ankle is definitely sprained. It doesn’t seem broken or fractured, so you should count yourself lucky. Linus was wailing about how you got caught in a landslide. Those can be fatal accidents.”

“Well Linus overexaggerates. I just lost my footing walking home, that’s all.”

“Regardless, I’ll need to put a brace on it and you’ll have to stay off it for a minimum of two weeks. There are some crutches back at my clinic-”

“Harvey!” Lewis burst in behind Marnie. His phone was up to his ear. “I just got a call from the mayor of the next town over. Their doctor got hurt pretty badly and they’re requesting yours and Maru's assistance. There was some damage to the highway and it’ll be a few hours before an ambulance can reach them or us. But it looks like there’s minimal damage to the roads between our two towns. If I drive you over, we can be there in twenty minutes.”

Harvey sighed lightly. The Farmer noticed that the doctor had bags under his eyes, and his weary expression was only hidden behind the glasses and mustache. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t shaved it off. “Alright, but I need to see to The Farmer first.”

“It’s alright,” The Farmer objected. He fell under Harvey’s disapproving look. “A sprain isn’t too serious, right? I’ll keep some ice on it tonight, and you can put the brace on tomorrow. I’m Pelican Town’s only casualty, right? If they need you somewhere else, then you shouldn’t prioritize me.”

“I can carry him home too,” Alex offered. "That way you don't have to waste the time getting the crutches and coming back here." The Farmer looked at him surprised but didn’t object.

After a moment of mental deliberation, Harvey sighed again. “Alright. Lewis, tell him we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Right!” Lewis spoke back into his phone and left, followed out of the building by Marnie and the doctor. The remaining part of the rescue team began to take off after that. A few more questions and offers to help were answered, but eventually only Alex and The Farmer remained.

Alex grabbed his green varsity jacket from the locker and offered it to The Farmer. “Here, it’s cold out.”

“But what about you?”

Alex waved off the question. “I’ll be fine. Besides, you’re the one with the injury. Wouldn’t want you catching a cold as well.”

The Farmer looked hesitant to Alex, and sneezed again. Alex cracked a grin, and The Farmer took his jacket begrudgingly. He set Saber on the ground, much to the cat’s displeasure, and pulled the jacket on. Meanwhile, Alex got into position for another piggyback carry. This time, The Farmer didn’t protest and slid onto Alex’s back. After some quick adjustments, the two walked out, followed by Saber.

The walk back to The Farmer’s place was quiet. Alex had opted to take the path that led directly from Robin’s to the farm, instead of going back through town. He was tired and didn’t want to be held up by answering more questions from anyone they might run into in town. He assumed The Farmer was feeling the same way since he didn’t say anything. The Farmer’s hands gripped each other loosely around Alex’s shoulders, and he could feel The Farmer’s breath against the back of his neck.

The Farmer suddenly spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Alex didn’t stop walking. He did shift The Farmer’s weight on his back slightly. “I told you, it’s fine. You couldn’t have made the trip anyways.”

“No, not this. I,” The Farmer huffed. “I want to apologize for the way I acted back during the Flower Festival. You were just trying to talk to me and I gave you the cold shoulder for a dumb reason I got upset about. I was shutting you out for no reason.”

“Oh,” Alex’s memories of the festival came up in his mind for the second time that night. Apparently, The Farmer was also thinking about that day. “So, I did upset you. Sorry.”

“You don’t even know why I was upset.”

“Well that is true,” he admitted. “But I still upset you, right? So, I should apologize.”

The Farmer huffed again, mumbling under his breath. “You’re making this difficult.”

“What?”

There was silence from The Farmer. And then, “I’m gay.”

This time, Alex faulted in his step. He felt The Farmer go very tense on his back, bracing himself for something. Quickly, Alex resumed walking. Many times that night he had felt that the situation required him to say something, and now that feeling was magnified tenfold. This time, the entire mountain stood solemnly silent, waiting for a response. Alex fell back on his memories, suddenly recalling what he had said. “Oh, so that thing I said about girls dancing with you then…”

“And that thing about Haley.”

“Haley, oh yeah. That.”

“Yeah, aren’t you two friends? That’s a kinda shitty thing to say about her.”

Alex cringed internally. “I was trying to think of a conversation topic, and well, typical male bonding seemed like the right path?” The more the words came out of his mouth, the less sure he felt about them. A pathetic excuse that couldn’t stand up to a light breeze.

“Male bonding is overrated.” The Farmer mumbled. Then he sighed. “I should have said something back then though. And then I kinda overreacted. That’s why I wanted to apologize.” The Farmer let the words hang in the air, like he wanted to say something more. Alex could feel the tension slowly go out of The Farmer’s body. His chest was pressed to Alex’s back, and he could feel The Farmer’s heart pounding quickly. Figuring now was best time to keep quiet, Alex let The Farmer continue. “It was unfair to you. I haven’t told anyone else in the valley that I’m gay, so it's not like anyone would have gone around spreading rumors already.”

“You know, I don’t think anyone here is the type to start rumors like that.” Alex offered. “We are a small town, but we all look out for each other here.”

“Yeah. Everyone’s been really nice.” The Farmer agreed, his voice soft. “You know, one of the reasons I felt like leaving the city was because there were too many people. Too many different ideals and everyone was always butting heads with each other. You spend a lot of time yelling and arguing about the best way to live your life, that you end up too exhausted to do anything. So, I decided to run away and bunker down in my grandpa’s rundown cottage to live in solitude.”

“Well you failed that last part spectacularly,” Alex said. “You should have seen my grandpa. He hates everyone, but when they were asking for volunteers to look for you, I could have sworn he was about to leap out of his wheelchair and lead the search.”

“I’m glad he didn’t. Can you imagine what would happen if I started to cure the crippled? There’d be squatters in my fields, I’d never grow another crop, and people would terrorize my animals by praising them as deities or some shit.”

Alex laughed. “I guess you dodged a bullet there.” He paused and then added, “Say, what are you going to do about your crops? Won’t it be hard with a sprained ankle?”

“I’ll manage somehow. But first I gotta see what survived the storm. I’m probably gonna have to work on clearing the fields again. I wonder if the chicken coop Robin started on is still standing.” At this point, Alex realized The Farmer was talking more to himself than to him.

He let The Farmer continue for a few moments until he got an idea. “Hey,” he interrupted The Farmer’s rambling. “What would you say about me coming over to help?”

“You...What?”

“I can come over and help,” Alex repeated. “At least until your leg is better.”

“Alex, I can’t really afford to pay you-”

“You don’t have to. I’ll think of it as a new workout routine. You said so yourself, hard labor on a farm every day gets you pretty buff, right?”

The Farmer deliberated in silence before letting out a resigned sigh. “I guess I’m not in a position to decline, am I? But are you really sure? Farm life starts before sunrise and finishes after sunset. It’s a lotta work, especially if you’re not used to it.”

“I’m a man of my word. I’ll be there at the crack of dawn!”

The Farmer smiled into Alex’s back. He lightly bumped his hands into Alex’s chest. “Okay mister, but I said before sunrise. That means before dawn. I won’t tolerate any tardiness.”

Alex laughed. “Alright boss.”

By now, Alex had reached the part of the path where it opened out to the farm. Clouds still covered most of the sky, obscuring the moon from view. To Alex, it was hard to see just how much damage the storm had done. But if The Farmer’s extended sigh was any indication, it was pretty bad.

“You can put me down here,” The Farmer said once Alex had climbed the front steps. Alex knelt down, and The Farmer disembarked. He favored his left foot, leaning against the cottage. When the two faced each other again, there was silence. Alex could feel just how cold the night was now that The Farmer’s body heat wasn’t seeping into his back. In what little moonlight there was, he could barely make out The Farmer’s expression. But Alex could tell he was reluctant to make eye contact.

“So,” The Farmer said, “You don’t find it strange or weird at all?”

“Do I find what strange?”

“That I’m gay.”

Alex shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was always a topic that had come up in school and he’d hear about on tv sometimes. But he’d never really given sexuality much thought before. “No. I mean, everyone here is different, but even when those differences clash, we can all still live together happily.” Then he added with as big a smile as he could, “That why I like this town so much. And now you’re a part of it too.”

The Farmer looked at him a moment longer. His head dropped slightly. “I need to apologize for something else. I honestly thought you were nothing more than another typical and arrogant jock with nothing but girls and gridball on his mind. But you’re actually a really nice person.”

“Well I’m sorry to be such a disappointment to you, but I’m into other sports too.”

In the darkness, Alex noticed the corner of The Farmer’s mouth tug up into a smile.

“Meow!”

Both men looked down. Saber stood between them, his front claws digging into the wooden door. The Farmer knelt down, scratching the cat between his ears. “Oh, what do you want?”

Alex also knelt down, brushing has hand down the cat’s back. “Maybe he’s hungry?”

The Farmer snorted. “Probably. Let me formally introduce you to your laziest coworker Alex. This is Saber, my official rat and crow catcher. So far he’s caught zero rats and half a crow.”

“Half?” Alex questioned.

“Yeah. Dropped it at my feet when I was making breakfast one morning. But the bird was only playing dead. The second Saber dropped it, it started screaming and flying around the cottage. Probably the second worst morning I’ve had since I moved here.”

“What’s the worst?”

The Farmer frowned. “Maybe I’ll tell you another time. Not a pleasant memory. Involves a gremlin from JojaMart and a scarecrow I’ve since burned.”

Saber mewled pathetically. He’d given up on scratching the front door and instead rolled onto his back.

“You know,” Alex said, rubbing Saber’s stomach, “I’m more of a dog person, but he’s pretty cute.”

“Yeah, it’s about the only thing he’s got going for him,” The Farmer agreed. “I once saw two rats drink from his water dish and the lazy bastard just watched them.”

“Meow?”

“Yes you. My fat, lazy, handsome little boy, you.” The Farmer picked up Saber, who protested with a meow, and kissed the top of the cat's head. “He may be useless, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. Even a cure to my pest problem.”

A yawn escaped from Alex, and the two stood. “Well I guess that means I should go now.”

“What about your clothes?”

Alex waved off the question, descending the front steps. “I’ll pick them up in the morning. But if they’re covered in cat hair I don’t want them.”

“Well I guess that means I just got a free set of workout clothes,” The Farmer called after him.

Alex just waved goodbye, turning his back and leaving the farm. When he passed the broken-down bus, the wind picked up again. The chill reminded him that he was only wearing a tank top.  _Oh yeah, The Farmer’s wearing my jacket._  Alex thought. And then he remembered the red cloth in his back pocket.  _Oh well, I can pick it up tomorrow. I still gotta give him back his bandana anyways._

_So, The Farmer's gay,_  Alex thought when he reached the edge of town. Very suddenly, Alex stopped mid-step. The events of the night replayed in his mind, now with the addition of this new information.  _He's...gay_. Alex recalled how he had candidly stripped less than a foot from the other man. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.  _Holy shit. I'm totally the reason things were so awkward tonight._

* * *

 

Back on the Farm, The Farmer was inside, sitting on the floor. His back was to the cottage’s door, and his knees pulled up to his chest. Alex’s jacket was pulled tightly around himself in an attempt to be as small as possible. Saber paced around him, worried meows about his human a constant noise.

The Farmer ignored him. His heartbeat raced, and his face felt flushed. He couldn't control his thoughts, as they now were driven mad with desire. It was just a crush, just a dumb crush, and now he’d need the other man in all his naked glory. Granted, The Farmer kept his eyes from traveling too far south…but damn was he going to be haunted by that ass. Alex wasn’t lying when he said he never skipped leg day.

But now, everything was worse. Alex was very much real, no longer a personality-less acquaintance. Alex was a person he was forming a real connection, a real friend that he was opening up to. The Farmer felt like he had made a mistake tonight, his plans for coming out were ruined now. But he was also happy. Alex didn’t seem like the type of person to gossip, and now The Farmer wouldn't need to constantly keep his guard up around Alex now—like how he did with people he called his friends, like he did with Penny.

His mind was now spinning with endless ‘What if?’ scenarios. Replaying tonight's events over and over, imagining different outcomes. The most dangerous one, the most constant one, the one he wanted to stop the most, rang out the loudest in his head.

_What if Alex reciprocated my feeling?_

He pulled the jacket tighter around himself, trying to drown out his thoughts with the scents embedded in it. Under the overpowering stench of spray-on deodorant, he could smell bacon and maple.

The image of Alex making breakfast in his kitchen crossed his mind.

_Please. Stop, he pleaded with his own mind. This is just a stupid crush._

He imagined Alex pulling him close and into the shade of a blossoming apple tree. He pressed soft kisses against The Farmer’s forehead. His voice whispering sweet nothings into The Farmer’s ear.

_Stop. I can’t do this to myself. I can’t deal with this._

Then, he saw Alex was in his bed. The light dappled into his golden-brown hair. Mouth parted slightly, and eyes closed as he slept soundly through the morning. His fingers were intertwined with The Farmer’s in a gentle grip.

_I don’t want to get hurt._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Who says hot springs episodes are limited to anime? =P
> 
> Sorry again for the delay, but on top of having a bit of writer's block, this chapter turned out much, much longer than I had originally planned. A fair bit of plot was also moved around, scrapped, and rewritten too, so i had to go through my outlines and edit those, but I hope you find the wait worth it. 
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be shorter for sure. Alex helps clean up the farm, learns the ropes, and helps make the Luau a success. I’m gonna shoot for getting chapter 5 out by the first week of October.


	5. The Luau

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 10

* * *

 

It was difficult to tell if he had actually slept last night. His mind felt scrambled from the emotional roller coaster, stuck in an endless loop of denying and accepting his crush on Alex.  The Farmer had drifted in and out of consciousness for hours with those thoughts plaguing his mind. About an hour ago he woke with his entire body aching and in pain, particularly bad was his ankle. It felt like a bear was gnawing on it, and moving even a little aggravated the pain. So here he lay, willing himself to go back to sleep.

When the first streams of sunlight poured into the room, there was a knocking at the front door. “Hey farm boy! Are you awake?” 

Alex’s voice both hurt his ear, and sped up The Farmer’s heartbeat. _Ah shit_ _ , _ The Farmer thought to himself.  _ Maybe I shouldn’t have told him to come over so early. _

As he pulled himself up, Alex knocked again. “Hello?” 

“It’s open.” The Farmer called. 

The door swung open, breathing in some of the cold morning air. Alex walked in, showing no hesitation upon entering what was basically a stranger's bedroom. He carried a bundle of clothing in his arms, and then his eyes fell over The Farmer. “Wow, you look like shit.” 

“Thanks.” The Farmer grumbled. “That exactly what everyone wants to hear when they just wake up.” 

Alex grinned at him, undeterred. “I thought a farmers job started before sunrise. Well what happened? Did you have a rough night?” 

The Farmer returned the grin with a glare. How anyone could be joking around this early in the morning already was beyond him. He nodded at the clothing, “What are those?” 

“Oh, these are yours.” Alex put the clothes down on the table in the center of the room. “I went back to the Spa last night to get them, and then asked my grandma to put them through the washer and dryer with mine.” 

“A washer and dryer? Sounds luxurious.” 

“Not really,” Alex shrugged and looked around. “Say, how do you do laundry anyways?” 

“You mean you didn’t see the river running through the middle of my farm? Or the clothesline behind the cottage,” The Farmer’s brow came together in thought. “Although I don’t actually know if the line's still there…” 

“Wait, are you serious?” 

“One hundred percent.” 

“Talk about living off the land,” Alex said. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets, his eyes scanning the room. The Farmer stared at Alex, waiting for him to leave. Alex’s eyes met The Farmers eventually. “Oh, right! Sorry,” Alex piped up. “Where do you keep your clothes?”  

The Farmer raised an eyebrow. “In my dresser. Why?” 

Alex spotted the small dresser at the foot of the bed, walked over, and opened it. He rummaged through it before The Farmer could object. Alex pulled out a shirt at random, which just so happened to have a pair of underwear stuck to the back of it. “Is anything alright?” 

He didn’t get a response. Instead, he got a face-full of pillow with a surprising amount of force behind it. 

“What do you think you’re doing!?” The Farmer’s voice cracked with embarrassment. “Do you just go through other people’s clothes for the heck of it?”

Caught completely off-guard, Alex fell to the floor.  He ripped the pillow from his face. “What the hell man. Don’t you need help changing again?” 

“No!” With everything he had put himself through last night, the last thing The Farmer wanted to do was have Alex handling his unmentionables. That was not an image he needed to add to the mess already swirling in his mind. “I can dress myself. Just go out and wait on the porch.” 

“Alright, alright.” Alex stood, his hand raised defensively and warily eying the second pillow still on the bed. 

He left, and The Farmer fell back into his bed with a sigh. His heartbeat pounded against his eardrums.  _ It’s too early for me to deal with any of this. _

* * *

 

After a brief struggle to change his clothes, The Farmer stepped out onto the porch holding Alex’s jacket. Alex was sitting on the front step hugging himself and rubbing his hands up and down in attempt to keep warm. When Alex looked up at him, The Farmer dropped the jacket over Alex’s face.  _ Curse Yoba for giving him eyes you could drown him. _

Alex pulled his jacket off his face with a huff. “Wow, someone’s cranky in the mornings.”

The Farmer rolled his eyes. Maybe he should keep this up, insurance that Alex never found out about his crush. “It’s cold in the mornings,” he said.  “I figured you might want something heavier to wear until it gets warmer.” 

“And you gave me _my_ jacket? How thoughtful.” Alex sounded like he always did, playfully joking around and not taking any offence. He yawned as he pulled on his jacket. “I don’t know how you do this every day. I felt fine on the walk over here, but now I think I’m starting to crash.” 

The Farmer shrugged. “You get used to it. Just don’t pass out in my fields before you correct your sleep schedule.” 

“Yes boss.” Alex looked down to The Farmer’s ankle. The Farmer was leaning against the door-frame, favoring his injured foot. “Speaking of your fields, what are you going to do until Harvey gets here? Surely you can’t walk on that.” 

“I’m gonna supervise, of course. You can start by clearing any debris the storm blew in. Once Harvey gets here, we’ll take stock of what I can save and what I have to turn to compost.” 

Alex stood and rolled up the sleeves of his jacket. “You got it, boss!” 

Having Alex around was truly helpful, and The Farmer was enjoying the ability to just tell someone else to do his work. Just looking over everything from his porch, he could tell the damage to the farm was pretty severe. The small patch of melons he had been growing was now non-existent; several had been blown across the farm and now lay broken or impaled on rocks and branches. There was one melon in particular had several stakes from his now destroyed fence sprouting from it. Alex found it so amazing that he had to carry over for The Farmer to see. He make a remark about the strange beauty storms can do, but The Farmer disagreed. “I think it’s more like the storm was saying ‘Fuck this melon in particular.’” 

Alex laughed at that, and The Farmer had to avert his gaze. The man radiated sunshine when he smiled. It was almost annoying. 

Almost. 

Before he knew it, two hours had passed. Alex was a hard worker, having cleared most of the storms debris and obviously destroyed crops by the time Harvey showed up. But Harvey wasn’t alone. 

“Hey Farmer!” Robin waved at him from the dirt path at the edge of the farm. 

The Farmer waved back, a little surprised. “Hi,” he said once she and Harvey approached the porch. “What are you doing here?” 

“I ran into Harvey on my way over, figured I’d give him a hand in carrying this stuff over.” She lifted the leg brace in her other hand. 

“How is your ankle feeling?” Harvey asked. He looked exhausted, no doubt from his trip with Lewis last night.  He was carrying a set of crutches, which he leaned against the porch. “Any worse than last night?” 

“Not particularly. Just shooting pains whenever I try and move it.” 

Harvey knelt down. “Can you sit down and roll your pants leg up? You’ll feel some pain as I put the brace on, but it’ll feel better once the pressure is applied.” The Farmer did as he asked, and Harvey had the task finished in no time. He was right, and there was minimal pain when The Farmer gingerly put weight on it.

“Come see me every Monday and I’ll check on how the healing is progressing,” Harvey said standing up. “Now if you excuse me, I’m need to head home.” 

“Thanks doc,” The Farmer said, and he and Robin waved goodbye. 

“I hope he gets some proper sleep.” Robin watched him go. “Maru got home just as I was leaving. I swear, she was sleepwalking when she came through the front door.” She turned to The Farmer, “And now back to business.” 

“What business?” 

“Well, I needed to talk to you about the chicken coop you ordered.”

“Oh right,” The Farmer looked back over his farm. “You know, I don’t even remember where you had started setting up.”

“I think it was somewhere,” Robin paused. She looked over the field before tentatively raising and hand an pointing at a random part of the field. "Somewhere around there?” She gave him a sheepish grin. “Anyways, I’ve come to tell you that I’m going to have to put that project off for a few days. Mayor needs my help repairing some of the homes in town and those will take priority.”

“That’s fine. It’s gonna take a few days to clear out my fields anyways.” 

“Hey Farmer, check is out!” Robin and The Farmer both looked to Alex as he ran up carrying another melon. This one was in perfect shape, save for the hammer embedded in it. “Where do you think it came from?” 

“Ah,” Robin grabbed the hammer, and yanked it out. “That would be mine. I forgot a few tools here when I was doing my set-up before the hurricane hit. I also came by to pick them up. Do you mind if I look around?” 

“Go ahead,” The Farmer stood up and grabbed his crutches. “If we find any more I’ll send them your way.” Then to Alex, “Come on. We’re gonna go check on my crops.” 

It was already obvious that his melon patch had to be completely pulled up and tilled. Most of the tomatoes and peppers would unfortunately have to join it. The Farmer had Alex use makeshift wood-markers to denote which plants could be saved, but those plants could be counted on one hand.  The Farmer wasn’t looking forward to the cuts in his budget. By a stroke of sheer dumb luck, his blueberry and corn crops had avoided the worst of the damage. Most would need stilts to keep standing tall, but after showing Alex the best way to tie up the plants, he had settled into a rhythm. The Farmer noticed that Alex would hum to himself, keeping a small smile on his face all throughout the work. 

By noon, Robin recovered her tools and had already left. The Farmer had retreated, citing his injured foot, and took to watching Alex work through the window in his kitchen. Alex was working on saving the last of the corn and soon wouldn’t have anything else to do. That meant he would come over and start asking questions, and The Farmer didn’t feel he could quite hold a proper conversation. He kept everything strictly business when Alex asked questions, trying to keep his sarcastic remarks to a minimum. He also conveniently found tasks that involved sending Alex as far away from him as possible, thus avoiding any conversation. 

“Meow?” 

The Farmer tore his eyes away from the window. Saber had lept up onto the counter and was sniffing at the sandwiches The Farmer had made. The Farmer gently pushed his fat cat away. “No, these aren’t for you. You have a delicious bowl of dry food on the floor.” 

Saber yawned, but it almost looked like the cat had made a fake gagging motion. 

The Farmer moved to scoop his cat off the counter, but Saber outmaneuvered him. The cat leapt over the sandwiches and crawled onto the windowsill. His green eyes observed Alex for a moment, turned towards The Farmer, and then closed as he started grooming himself. 

Embarrassment filled The Farmer for a few reason. One, because it felt like his cat was judging him. Two, because he was acting childish and assuming his cat could judge him. Three, because he knew he was going to justify himself to the cat. “Don’t give me that sass young man, or I’ll revoke your wet food privileges.” 

Sabers ear twitched, but he continued to groom himself. 

Fuck, Saber knew he was weak. He’d never do that to his own cat. “Fine, so what if I’m trying to avoid him? I just, I…” The Farmer sighed. “I just don’t feel like last night actually happened, you know?  I told Alex that I’m gay, and I expected him to - look, I don’t know what I was expecting. But he’s acting like nothing even happened!” 

The Farmer gestured to the window. “He’s the perfect worker. Never complains, does whatever I tell him to, and hums that catchy song. Look at him!” The Farmer looked outside, but then realized Alex wasn’t kneeling in front of the corn anymore. 

“Hey Farm boy!” 

The Farmer whirled, his heart throwing itself violently against his ribcage. Alex was standing in the open door, which The Farmer stupidly left open. How much had he heard? How much did knowing The Farmer talked to his cat affect Alex’s opinion of him? 

“I’m all done with the corn.” Alex said. “What else needs to be done?” 

The Farmer looked away from him, his eyes locking onto the sandwiched on the counter. “Actually that’ll be all for today. Here,” he shoved the plate down the counter towards Alex. “You must be hungry.” 

“Thank Yoba, I’m starved.” Alex picked up one sandwich, and The Farmer watched in horrid fascination as Alex managed to finish it in three bites. “This is delicious. What is it?” 

“...Peanut butter and jelly.” 

“Hm, maybe it just tastes better after that that hard work.” As Alex worked through his second and third in only a couple of bites, The Farmer couldn’t help but wonder if Alex even had a gag refl-

“Meow!” 

Saber lept off the windowsill and landed on The Farmer’s feet before charging out of the cottage. The Farmer swore mentally and turned himself away from Alex before his thought process could continue.

Alex wasn’t paying attention to him, instead focusing on his cat. “What got into Saber? I thought I saw something orange flash by the door.” 

Outside the window, The Farmer noticed Saber chase an Orange Jumino past his point of view. “Oh you know, cats get those crazies every once in awhile. Gotta burn that sudden burst of energy.” 

“I’ve never had a cat. Only Dusty, and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him with puppy energy. You mind if I eat that?” Alex was referring to the final sandwich. There had originally been six, mostly because The Farmer was too distracted while making them and wasn’t thinking about the proper amount he should have made. Thank Yoba that Alex’s stomach was apparently a portal to the void.

“Go ahead.” 

“Thanks!” But before the first bit, he asked, “So you’re really done already? I thought you said it was an all day job?” 

The Farmer dropped the now empty plate into the sink and leaned against the counter. “Normally, yes. It’d take me all morning to tend to the crops, I'd pick up some seeds from Pierre's, and then I’d spend the rest of the afternoon trying to clear out the rest of the fields.” 

“Wait,” Alex said through a mouth full of peanut butter, “that’s not even the whole field?” 

“Not even close. My grandpa farmed on almost three hundred acres.”

“How much is an acre?” 

“Roughly a few yards shorter than a grifball field.” 

Alex coked on his sandwich. “What? There’s no way there’s that much land out there. That’s gotta be at least seven Pelican Towns.” 

“Not all of it’s here in town. I think this farm’s roughly four acres, at the very least. Most of the land he worked were those fields along the highway out of town.” 

“So wait, you own all that now?” 

The Farmer pushed himself off the counter and walked towards his bookshelf. “Not quite. Most of the land was rented out to my grandpa and he was apart of a larger group of farms that worked together. Since my parents didn’t want to continue his business, anything that he didn’t actually own in Pelican Town was rented or sold to other farmers.” 

The Farmer pulled a binder off the shelf and flipped it open on his kitchen table. He pulled a small map of Pelican Town out of the front flap and spread it out over the table. There was a part of the map sectioned off by blue Sharpie. The Farmer pointed at it, “This is the land I own. And this,” The Farmer traced a small outline with his finger within the rectangle, “Is the land I’ve cleared so far.” 

“And you wanna clear all of that?” Alex’s voice was incredulous. “There’s no way a single person would be able to work that much land. You’re ambitious or just crazy.” 

The Farmer sighed and put the map back into the binder. “At this point, probably crazy. Like I said, I normally try to clear out more of the fields, but the storm is forcing me to redo my budget. I doubt I'll be able to even start growing on the second half of the fields until next year.” The Farmer put the binder back and took a spiral notebook off the shelf instead.

Alex frowned while he finished the last of his sandwich. “Well, are you sure you don’t need me to do anything else?” 

The Farmer glanced at Alex. He looked somewhat refreshed after eating, but his eyelids were drooping. “No, go home and take a nap. I’m going to basically be doing paperwork, which would put you to sleep anyways.” 

Alex opened his mouth to protest, but a yawn escaped him instead of words. “Fine, I guess you’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow for the Luau then.” 

A thought suddenly snapped into The Farmer’s mind. “Ah, Alex! Wait up.” 

The other man looked back, one eyebrow raised. “What’s up?” 

The Farmer’s tongue felt suddenly fat and fuzzy, rendering him speechless. He shouldn’t be asking this, but there’s no way he could do this on his own. He swallowed his hesitation. “Tomorrow, could you come an hour earlier? I need to ask you for a favor about the Luau.” 

Alex’s expression and whole body dropped. “A whole hour?” 

“I promise to feed you breakfast.” 

Alex suddenly perked up. “See you tomorrow!”

The Farmer watched him go, unable to keep a small smile from his face at Alex's enthusiam.

* * *

 

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 11

* * *

 

The sun had only just started to rise when Alex and The Farmer settled down on the water’s edge with fishing poles. The sunlight’s reflection sparkled off the water’s ripples, blinding Alex for the better part of the sunrise. They sat on the tiny island in the center of the mountain lake, backs pressed against the largest tree trunk. So far, neither of them had even had even a nibble. 

Alex had settled the fishing pole into a hole he had dug into the dirt. He trusted his own instincts enough to snatch it before a fish tugged it away. He leaned a bit further back into the tree to get more comfortable, his shoulder touching The Farmers. He noticed the way The Farmer initially jumped at the contact, but didn’t think much of it. 

“Can I ask you something?” Alex said. 

“Sure.” 

“Why are you doing this?” 

The Farmer turned to look at Alex, the other man meeting his gaze. The Farmer’s eyebrow was quirked up. “I told you. This is my contribution to the hot pot. Fish tastes better if you catch them the same day-” 

“No,” Alex cut him off. “I know what you’re doing. But why are you doing this? Shouldn’t you be focusing on your farm? Or resting your foot?”

The Farmer held his gaze only a moment before looking over the water. He pulled his body ever so slightly tighter to himself. But Alex couldn’t look away from his eyes. There was something in them. When he asked the question, the sleepiness gave way to a look he’d only ever seen on Shane when the man had finished his shift at Joja. 

“I need to.” The Farmer’s voice was flat. Alex was suddenly hit with stark realization that The Farmer’s voice usually such warmth when he talked. Even when he was talking about his work, it never sounded like this. “Everyone’s expecting me to bring something great.” 

For a moment, Alex didn’t know what to say. The day was bright and sunny, but the cold air blowing off the lake dominated. “Why do you think that?” 

“Everyone keeps saying so. After all, I’m the local farmer. Food’s my specialty so this should be a sinche.” 

The Farmers line suddenly tugged. He stood and started to reel it in as Alex watched in silence. In a few seconds, he was gripping a sturgeon and removing the hook from its mouth. The Farmer put it in the cooler they’d brought, and his eyes went to Alex. “What?” 

Alex realized he’d been staring. “Ah, well...I think you may have interpreted that the wrong way.” 

“How else would they have meant it?” 

“Well...That’s just everyone's way of getting excited with you about the festival. I mean, you don’t exactly spend a lotta time in the village, so we hardly know anything about you. Aside from the fact that you are a farmer. It’s probably just easiest for everyone to start a conversation with you about food.” Alex rubbed the back of his neck. “And you know, not everyone adds to the hot pot. Well, not since the year Abby panicked spoiled the whole stew when she threw an emerald cluster from her stone collection into it.”

The Farmer blinked. His eyes changed, now holding a gleam of amusement. “You’re kidding.” 

“I swear on Yoba, it’s true. It used to be required that everyone add to the Luau pot, and that was the year she insisted she’d bring her own. Haley told me that Abby had apparently forgotten until the day of and thought she could pull off some sort of ‘Stone Soup’ situation. Most everyone in town was in bed for a couple of days. She felt so guilty that she threw herself in front of Lewis door and told him to lock her up.” 

The Farmer snorted, a smile touching at his lips. “How old were you guys when this happened?” 

“I think most of us had just started middle school at that point.” Alex shook his head. “Anyways, I’m off topic. What I’m saying is, not everyone adds to the hot pot. You could have just said you weren’t gonna have anything and they would have changed the topic.” Alex's eyes were locked with The Farmer’s. The Farmer seemed to be digesting what Alex said. 

Then, The Farmer spoke. “Your line’s gonna get away.” 

Alex reacted to the sound of water splashing, able to spin and snatch his pole before it disappeared into the lake. He tugged and reeled, struggling to land whatever was on his line. He had wanted to focus on what they had been talking about, but this fish had the worst timing.

“Wait,” The Farmer put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Don’t reel wildly, the line will snap. Wait until the line go lax and then reel.” 

Alex nodded, following The Farmer’s directions and eventually pulling in a sturgeon on his own. “Hey, I got one!” 

The Farmer snorted. “Yeah, all on your own too.” 

Alex frowned at the teasing, leaving the fish suspended from the pole between them. Eventually, The Farmer got the hint. “Do you not know how to de-hook a fish?” 

“In my defense, I’ve never been fishing before.” 

“Well not a bad catch for your first time fishing. Here,” he grabbed the fish, “it’s simple. All you have to do is hold the fish still and then just pull the hook out like this?” The Farmer yanked the hook out with a swift motion, at which Alex flinched. 

“Doesn’t that hurt the fish?” 

The Farmer shrugged after he put the sturgeon into the cooler. “Probably. But it’s like a bandaid. If I went slowly it would have only hurt even more. Besides, we’re eating him soon anyways.” 

Alex stared at the cooler as The Farmer went to re-bait his own line. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” 

The Farmer handed Alex a worm. Then, with a half-smile, he said. “You’re right, too.” 

Alex took the worm. “About what?” 

“That I should have just said I wasn’t participating in the Luau hot pot.” He gave a sheepish grin. “I guess it’s a bad habit I haven’t broken from Joja. They never encouraged us to speak up, just to work like mindless robots.” 

“Was it really that bad working there?” 

The Farmer cast his line out. “Oh yeah. Each room had these giant glass windows high on the walls where men in black suits would watch us work. They never moved, but whenever someone was caught slacking a red light with a buzzer would go off at their desk. Supposed to be a gentle reminder, but instead it’d give you a heart attack.” 

Alex stuck the worm on his hook, the metal barb gleaming in the sunlight. “That sounds like cruel and unusual punishment.” 

“Probably was.” The Farmer sighed. “I gotta remind myself that Lewis is my boss and he’s just trying to make conversation, like you said. No one in the village will ever treat me as badly as Joja did. Well, except maybe Morris,” he added quickly with a frown. 

“Well I’m sure you can train Saber to fend him off.” 

“Ha, sure. Then I can work on teaching pigs to fly.” The Farmer gave Alex a light jab with his elbow. “Now hush. We’ve got an hour and all this talking will scare off the fish.” 

Alex cast out his own line. “Yes, boss.”

* * *

 

The walk through town put into perspective just how strong the storm had been. Tarps were tacked over windows that had been blown out; temporary fixes until Robin was able to procure actual glass to replace them. Most of the buildings were missing roofing tiles and in some cases, even siding. A few trees had been blown over but already removed, leaving spots of upturned dirt around town. Even the tires that Pam had in front of her trailer were gone, and that just rubbed The Farmer the wrong way. It felt as if we were walking through own home and all his furniture had moved two inches to the left.

For the most part, the town had been cleaned up. The only real evidence that there was still clean-up in progress was the occasional object in a tree. And the debris pile in Lewis' yard. He had apparently designated his yard as the towns trash pile. The back of his truck was filled with storm debris with a mountain of more debris piled next to it. 

The town was quiet, Alex and The Farmer the only souls around. The Farmer looked up at sun, which was almost directly overhead. The summer heat was kicking in again, and he could feel sweat gather where he leaned on the crutches. “What time is is?” 

Alex was walking in front of him. He readjusted his grip on the cooler, digging his phone out with his free hand. “A little before noon.” 

“I guess everyone must be at the beach. We’re a little late.”  

“We’ll be fine. Lewis never starts until everyone in town is present.” Alex said. 

And he was right. When the two walked onto the beach, nearly everyone crowded The Farmer. The expected ‘Are you okay?’ and ‘Do you need to sit?’ questions and answers were exchanged. Then Jas and Vincent had rushed to the front of the crowd, their curiosity evident as they spoke to the crutches instead of The Farmer. 

“Does it hurt?” Jas asked. 

Vincent asked his question in a rapid-fire succession. “Did you break a bone? Can I see it? I’ve never seen a broken bone before.” 

“It hurts, but I’m getting better.” The Farmer said. “All thanks to Dr. Harvey.” 

Vincent reached out for one of the crutches. “What’s this?” 

“Give him space you two.” Penny put her hands on both of the children’s heads, effectively stopping Vincent. “You don’t want to accidentally hurt him anymore, do you? Why don’t you go dance with Emily?” 

“Kay,” both children drawled before running away.

Penny smiled at The Farmer after they left. “Hopefully they weren’t too much trouble.” 

“I’m fine,” The Farmer smiled back at her. “Just a sprained ankle.” 

“That’s good.” Penny gave a small sigh of relief. “I’m glad it was nothing too serious. But how are you going to handle your farm work?” 

“Oh don’t worry.” The Farmer gestured at Alex, who had been standing behind him awkwardly with the cooler while all the attention had been on The Farmer. “Alex volunteered to do the heavy lifting part of my work until I can walk again.” 

Nearby, Haley swooned dramatically. “That’s so chivalrous of you Alex. He’s like a knight in shining armor.” 

Alex’s face flushed from the teasing. “Well, you know, it gets boring just lifting weights in my room all day. I, I figured this could be a nice change of pace.” 

George barked with laughter, surprising The Farmer who hadn’t seen him and Evelyn roll up next to him. “He gets that green thumb from me ya know. I used to put in my own time on that farm when your grandpa ran it.” 

The Farmer turned to him, completely surprised. “Wait, you knew my grandpa?” 

“You bet I did.” George said. “Before my legs went bad, whenever work was slow your grandpa would hire me to help clear fields. Used to take Alex with me sometimes, when he was  a little tyke.”

The Farmer turned to Alex. “You knew my grandpa, too?” 

Alex tiled his head and thought. “Maybe? I don’t really remember much from back when I was a kid.” His face darkened. “It was kinda a rough time.” 

“So that’s where you disappeared to yesterday.” Evelyn said. “It’s very nice of you to offer, Alex. Make sure you’re not a burden on The Farmer.” 

“Yeah, keep this trouble maker in line for us.” George said. 

The Farmer was somewhat focused on Alex’s cripd answer earlier, but didn’t feel he should prob at it. Instead he gave George a grin. “Oh don’t worry. When I’m done with him that armour won’t be shining no more.” 

George laughed again, slapping The Farmer on the back and almost knocking him over. “I like him! Alex, you should invite him over for dinner one of these nights.” 

“Speaking of dinner,” Lewis quite literally popped in like an excited child and was now staring at the cooler in Alex’s hand. “What did you bring for the hot pot?” 

The Farmer and Alex exchanged a look. Alex nodded, and The Farmer turned to Lewis. “Actually, I didn’t have any crops to bring. I kinda forgot and didn’t plan ahead properly.” Lewis smile dropped slightly. “But, Alex and I woke up early and caught some fresh fish instead.” 

Lewis’ beaming smile returned. “Excellent! I don't expect any out-of-towers this year, given the problem with the storm, but The Governor will be here soon.” He turned and called over his shoulder. “Gus, can you help The Farmer prepare some fish?” 

Gus gave a thumbs up from his table, not breaking eye contact with Pam. He was preparing food of his own, while Pam was attempting to snatch up anything the second Gus dropped his guard. There was a small red welt on her hand from where, presumably, Gus had smacked it away with his wooden spoon. 

The crowd dissipated around The Farmer, everyone going off to resume their previous activities. Alex had put the cooler down near one of the tables close to Gus, but had been pulled away by his grandparents. With only a little difficulty, The Farmer got through the sand with the crutches and set about to prepping the fish. After chopping off the head of the first fish, Penny stepped up next to him. 

“Would you like some help?” She asked. “I don’t think Gus will be much help if he’s fending off my mother.” 

“Oh, sure.” The Farmer watched out of the corner of his eye as she pulled her hair back tighter and put on an apron. “Do you need me to show you how to prepare fish?” 

“No, I’ve had some experience.” She paused when she looked into the cooler. She looked up then with a half-grimace. “But, could you behead them for me? I don’t think I have the stomach for it.” 

“Sure.” The Farmer handed her the fish he had already started. “Here, take this one.” 

“Thank you.” 

The Farmer continued to watch her as he took out a second fish and started working on it. He suddenly felt the need to look around. Marnie was slowly stirring the giant cast iron pot with a smile on her face. Robin and Demetrius were dancing on a makeshift dancefloor of palm leaves with Emily, Jas, and Vincent nearby. Clint was muttering to himself, casting nervous glances up at Emily every now and then. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even Linus had a smile on his face as he roasted...something on a spit fire on the other side of the beach. 

When he spotted Alex, talking with Haley and his grandparents, The Farmer watched Alex. He was smiling, and from the looks of it, also the butt end of jokes Haley and George were making. Alex noticed The Farmer staring, and waved at him. 

The Farmer waved back, and then said, “Hey Penny, can I tell you something?” 

She didn’t look up from her fish. “Sure, anything.” 

“I, ah," He looked down at his fish, but then back up at Penny. "I’m gay.” 

Penny’s knife didn’t come back up immediately after her next cut. She looked over at him, “You are?” 

The Farmer nodded. His heart pounded. “Yeah. I am.” 

“Oh, okay. I see.” Penny looked back down at her fish. The Farmer looked back at his own work, but before he could continue, Penny spoke again. “I’m bi.” 

Penny’s face was bright red when he looked at her again. “You’re…”

“I’m bi.” Penny said again with slightly more confidence. Her face was still red as she put her knife down. She whipped her hands on her apron and then covered her reddened cheeks with them. “Wow, I’ve never said that out loud before.” 

The Farmer smiled at her. “Wait, really? I’m the first person you’ve told?” 

Penny nodded, smiling back at him. “It’s kind of an exhilarating feeling.” 

“Right? Isn’t it great to say?” 

Penny nodded again. “I, I don’t know why I said it. I just, when you told me, I felt like I could finally tell someone, you know? It's never come up before so I didn't know how to tell others.” 

“Well that just means you trust me, right?” The Farmer touched her shoulder reassuringly. “So thank you.”

“Ah, thank you too,” Penny said quickly. “For telling me that you’re gay." She shook her head, "I mean, for trusting me.” 

“Yeah, we’re pretty good friends, aren’t we?” The Farmer beamed. “Hey, maybe we can start Pelican Town’s gay alliance.” 

Penny smiled. “M-Maybe.” 

Suddenly Lewis rushed by, going to great a larger man who had just descended onto the beach sand. He shook the other man’s hand vigorously and bowed several times, looking very much like a daughter trying to impress her new mother-in-law. 

“Before that,” Penny picked up her knife. “We should probably finish preparing the fish.” 

“Good call.” The Farmer resumed his prep work too. But as he was slicing up the fish, he couldn’t help but look up at Alex now and then. 

“Hey,” Marnie hissed from her position above the pot. “Are you almost ready?” 

“Almost!” Both The Farmer and Penny chimed together. They exchanged another look and laughed. He’d definitely have to keep Alex’s words in mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update! I have no excuse, except that I bought Fire Emblem Warriors and Super Mario Odyssey and played those instead of writing. But I'm doing an unofficial nanowrmo for myself and set a daily word goal so hopefully that will help. Unfortunately I also started another stardew valley fic, just to have something to bounce to, so no guarantee that I'll be writing this every day. 
> 
> But! Next chapter should fall back in line with my twice month update schedule because I actually cut this chapter in half just so I could publish it (I really gotta work on learning how to write smaller chapters).


	6. Summer Dreams

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 14

* * *

The summer sun beat down on the fields while the skies offered only the occasional cloud for minimal shade. Alex was making his way slowly through the cornstalks harvesting ears of corn and Robin had started construction once again on the chicken coop. The rhythmic pounding of her hammer was occasionally joined by the soft rustling of the wind as it weaved through the crops.

The Farmer sat in his usual spot on the porch, safely in the shade, overseeing all the work. He tapped the eraser end of a pencil against his notebook, a meaningless movement to alleviate his apathy. The novelty of having someone do all his work for him had worn off far too quickly. The notebook was supposed to help with his boredom, but he could only write so much.  He had recorded plans, theories, and one-word ideas about how he could expand his business. The word 'GIRAFFE' was written at the top corner of one of the pages and underlined twice, but he couldn't recall why it was there. It probably wouldn't help him even if he could remember; most of the plans were far too ambitious or straight up too expensive for him to attempt. Everything came down to money, and the life of a farmer did not rake in a six-figure salary.

He sighed and placed the writing utensils aside, opting to steal from Alex’s lunch instead. Specifically, stealing one of the shortbread cookies. Since the Luau, Alex had brought lunches large enough to feed four people, courtesy of his grandmother.  Evelyn was such a fantastic cook that The Farmer often forgot it wasn't his food and found himself fighting with Alex to get the last bite. Alex never complained about The Farmer stealing bits of his lunch, and The Farmer took that as a sign that Evelyn was fulfilling her role as the world's best grandmother and making sure they both got enough to eat.

Alex walked towards him with the filled basket of corn, sparing an amused look when he saw what The Farmer was doing. He walked inside cottage and quickly exited, one less basket in his hands. He sat down on the other side of The Farmer, picking one of the chicken sandwiches out of the lunchbox. “You know, my grandma would scold you if she knew that when you stole my lunch you always started with dessert,” he said.

The Farmer finished his cookie and reached for another. “Then tell her to stop appealing to my sweet tooth when she makes you food.”  

Before he could grab another, Alex snatched up the remaining cookies and shoved them all into his mouth. He grinned at The Farmer, cookies crumbs tumbling down his face.

The Farmer glared at him. “That’s disgusting, and you’re disgusting. I hope you know that.”

Alex shrugged, smug grin still on his face.

The Farmer retaliated by taking a sandwich and shoving it into his own mouth before retreating inside his house. He had a circular fan running in the corner, rotating lazily. The TV had been left on with the volume on low and the weatherman droned on about a heatwave that would hit later this week. The basket of corn sat on the kitchen table next to another basket of blueberries Alex had already picked that morning. The Farmer finished his stolen sandwich and pulled large paper grocery bags out of a cabinet. He walked back to the crops - leaning his crutches against the table - and started sorting the corn into three different bags.

“What’cha doing?” Alex asked. He had followed The Farmer in, holding what was presumable his second sandwich.

The Farmer turned his head to regard Alex. Alex had foregone his signature jacket today, wearing a tank top instead to combat the heat. Shamelessly, The Farmer thought it was apparent that Alex liked to work out. The tank was slightly large on Alex, and left a little bit to the imagination. But…

“I’m sorting out what to sell.” The Farmer said. He nodded up at a small pile of plastic containers above his cabinets. “Could you grab me a few of those for the blueberries?”

“Sure.” Alex finished the last bite of his sandwich and went to grab the containers. As he did, his shirt lifted slightly above the hem of his pants. Something that did not go unnoticed by The Farmer. He tore his eyes away by the time Alex turned back around, but his heart was beating slightly harder.

 _Yoba, what am I? Getting excited over seeing a little bit of skin?_ The Farmer half-scolded himself.  

Alex tapped the containers against The Farmer’s arm. “Hey, you okay?”

The Farmer nodded, trying and failing to give a normal smile when he looked at Alex. Alex stood only a few inches away. His expression held a slightly concerned aspect to it, but it slowly faded the longer the gaze held. Just to do anything else, The Farmer took the containers from Alex. Their fingers brushed during the exchange, and he felt the heat from the sun still radiate from the other man’s skin. His mind focused in on that warmth as the sounds of the summer outside faded from his ears. 

Alex cleared his throat. “So, why are you sorting this stuff out?”

“Hm?” The Farmer couldn't hear much above his beating heart.

“Well don’t you just sell it all to Pierre?”

The Farmer raised an eyebrow at him, but gladly latched onto the change of topic. “Do you honestly think that Pierre could buy a full harvest without going out of business?”

Alex frowned, looking at the crops on the table. “Well, no, I guess not. Then who do you sell it to?”

“Well, I keep a small amount for myself of course, and this,” he nodded to the second pile, “ I sell to Pierre. As for the last of it,” The Farmer referred to the largest pile with a frown. “I sell to Joja. But to be honest I’d rather not sell to them if I could.”

“How come?”

“Well, aside from my personal dislike for the company, they don’t let me sell at my own prices. They buy at their price or they buy nothing at all. It’s the only way I can actually bring money into Pelican Town from the outside, but with the export taxes I have to pay on top of it, I barely break even.”

Alex looked over the crops. “Isn’t there another way? Surely you don’t have to sell to them if you didn’t want to.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve tried.” The Farmer sighed. “But the fact is I’m a no-name novice farm with a too-low crop yield. No company in their right mind would waste the resources so send out a refrigerated truck to buy a single bag of crops. I barely have a high enough yield to set up a stand in town if I had wanted to. Since Joja already has a truck come here to restock their store, they’re my only option.”

“Holy shit.”

The Farmer frowned at Alex, “What?”

Alex shrugged, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. “Well, I just didn’t realize you were so passionate about this.”

“You think...I’m passionate?”

“Well, yeah. Whenever you talk about this stuff - I don’t know - you kinda light up and you never stumble over your words.”

The Farmer felt the praise go right to his reddening cheeks. He looked away. “I’ve just had to put a lot of work into this. The jump from office bitch to agricultural entrepreneur was a pretty big leap. Lewis and I had countless phone calls and sit-down meeting before and after I moved here just to work out business stuff.”

A weight fell across The Farmer’s shoulders, and the heat coming off Alex’s body seeped into his own.  Alex's hand rubbed reassuringly up and down The Farmer’s arm, sending electric tingles along his skin. “Okay, now you’re selling yourself short,” Alex said. “If you weren’t at least half-way enjoying yourself, I think you’d have packed up and gone back to the city long ago. Not just anyone can make that sudden change, and I think you’re doing a pretty amazing job so far. You grow food, and it tastes damn good too!”

The Farmer stood quite for a moment. An intrusive thought crossed his mind.  _Am I really passionate about this,_ _or does my new life just require a lot of work?_   The Farmer didn’t move away. It was just so nice to have this closeness with someone else.

Even if it was just physical.

He removed Alex’s hand with his own. He couldn’t look at the other man directly, knowing his face was too red to do so. He picked up the blueberries and brought them to the sink. “Flattery will get you nowhere, mister.” He said while turning on the faucet.

Alex followed and leaned against the counter. “I know, but if I add in my pretty face, it can.”

The Farmer almost agreed, but caught himself before he voiced it. Mustering his best poker face, he shot Alex the same disgusted look he would have given if the man had just told a pun. “I know I’m gay Alex, but you gotta be more than a pretty face to get anywhere with me.”

Alex’s grin got wider. He batted his eyelashes at The Farmer. “So you admit it’s pretty?”

The Farmer looked pointedly back to his task of washing the blueberries. “It’s not bad,” he muttered. Then he tossed a blueberry at Alex and said louder, “Here.”

Alex fumbled the catch initially, but managed to swipe the berry out of the air before it hit the floor.  “What’s this for?”

“You said my food tastes good, but that’s just because it’s just really, really fresh. Fruits and vegetables start to lose their sweetness the second they’re picked. Try it.”

Alex wore a skeptical look, but toss the berry into his mouth. The second it was crushed between his teeth, his expression switched to disbelief. “Holy shit,” he exclaimed. “This is the sweetest blueberry I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Now it was The Farmer’s turn to give Alex a shit-eating grin. “Because I’m deducing that from your pay.”

“But you’re not paying me anything.”

The Farmer tiled his head to the side. “Huh, then I guess that means you owe me money.”

* * *

 Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 15

* * *

Alex hugged his legs to his chest, nestled in the darkness of a linen closet. His eyes felt puffy, and the tears felt warm falling over his swollen cheek. He strained his gaze on the faint line of light that crept towards him from under the door.  Occasionally, a shadow would pass over, and his body would freeze up instantly.

“Alex,” slurred a heavy voice. “Where are you?”

He pressed his lips tighter together and felt himself shrink smaller.

“I’m sorry Alex. I promise I won’t do it again.” The voice was right outside the closet door and a shadow fell over the light again. The floorboard creaked, and a whimper escaped Alex. Heavy silence filled the closet.

Drunken and uneven footsteps approached. The door handle slowly turned above Alex’s head. He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Found you!”

Alex opened his eyes. He was outside now, hidden behind a small log pile. A spring breeze ruffled his hair and the air carried a hint of compost. A girl wearing a white dress with blond hair and big blue eyes smiled at him from around the corner of the pile. A younger version of Haley.

“You know, you’re really not good at this,” she said in a sing-song voice.

Alex frowned at her as he stood up. “You’re too good at hide n’ seek.”

“All I did was think of where the obvious places to hide would be and looked there.” Haley tapped her head with her finger. “Papa says you gotta think outside the box to be successful in life.”

The two walked out from Alex’s hidden spot behind Lewis’ house towards the playground, the designated gathering spot for everyone found. The children gathered groaned when they approached.

“She found Alex?” Abby whinned. “It’s been less than five minutes.”

“You’re cheating!” Sam accused, pointed a finger at her from where he sat in a swing. Several of the children murmured in agreement. “How else can you find everyone so easily?”

Haley shrugged. “You all hid in obvious spots. I mean, come on, only a moron would hide in Mr. Lewis’ truck.” She shot Sam a mischievous grin, whose face flushed in embarrassment. “Anyways, it’s Alex’s turn to seek since I found him last.”  

“Wait.” Everyone turned to Emily, who was counting on her fingers. She asked, “Where’s the new kid?”

“Oh right,” Haley looked back towards town. “I forgot about him.”

Sam pouted, falling onto his back in the sandbox. “What’s it matter? She’ll find him soon enough.”

Alex took a seat on the edge of the sandbox as Haley leisurely walked back into town. But when he blinked, the sky was ablaze with the color of the setting sun. Several adults were gathered around the children asking questions.

“What do you mean you can’t find him?”

“We were playing hide and seek,” Haley twisted the hem of her dress in her hands. The confidence in her look was gone now. She looked on the edge of tears. “But he won’t come out.”

Haley’s mother knelt down and pulled her daughter into a hug, whispering soft reassurances to her. The rest of the adults all exchanged worried looks. Alex looked away from the scene, a strange sense of deja vu falling over him. As the adults continued their inquiry with the children, something caught Alex’s eye. For just a moment, he thought he saw a flash of red near the community center. It didn’t seem as if the adults noticed it. Alex stood up and walked to where he had seen the movement.

Behind the building, he didn’t find anything. Nothing in the bushes, in the windows, nor under any rocks. The sun had almost completely set, and Alex had just about thought he imagined seeing anything. But then he saw it again. It was near his foot, and this time when he looked down, he noticed that in the grass was a piece of roofing shingle. The wind blew through the leaves of the nearby trees, and then he heard it.

“Please help.”

Alex looked up. A very soft voice, like a whisper, came from above him. He didn’t see anything, but he called out. “Hello?”

Minutes seemed to pass, until a small head poked over the edge of the roof. There was a small shriek, and the head disappeared from view.

“Hey!” Alex called, “Aren’t you the new kid? Are you okay?”

“No.” The answer sounding like a whimpering dog. “I can’t get down.”

“Can’t you jump?”

“It’s too high!”

Alex looked around, trying to figure out how the other kid got up there in the first place. The closest tree to the roof looked like it might work. There were branches low enough to work as footholds. But the branch that would have reached over the roof was broken halfway-

“Oh,” Alex took a step away. “Hold on, I’ll get an adult.”

“No!”

Alex stopped. Suddenly he was back in the closet. The door was thrown open, but he was alone. He heard his own voice screaming in fear, crying ‘no’ over and over.  His cheek burned with pain as a door somewhere in the house slammed shut.

Against his own will, his legs brought him towards the edge of the closet. He didn’t want to look, but his legs compelled him to creep forwards. At the edge, he peered around the corner, spying a tall and lean man standing in a kitchen. His back was to Alex and he drank deeply from a glass bottle wrapped in a paper bag.

“I don’t wanna get in trouble.”

Alex was back outside the community center. The young boy was at the edge of the roof, peering down at him. He gripped the edge of the roof with tiny fingers and white knuckles. “I don’t wanna get in trouble,” the boy repeated. “My dad said I had to be good.”

“But you can’t get down unless you jump,” Alex said.

The boy shook his head. “It’s too high!”

Alex crossed his arms and frowned. “The adults can bring a ladder. Otherwise you have to jump.”

Tears formed in the boy’s eyes. He deliberated in silence. “Will you catch me?”

“Catch you?”

The boy nodded. “If you’ll catch me, I’ll jump down. Then the adults won’t know I was up here.”

Part of Alex wanted to say he was already in trouble for being missing this long, but he kept his mouth shut. “Fine, I’ll catch you.” He threw his arms wide open, in absolutely no position to be catching anything.

The boy hesitated. Slowly, he brought his body closer to the edge of the roof until his legs were swinging in the air. But Alex could tell the boy was losing his nerve. He swallowed, and then yelled as loud as he could. “Jump!”

The boy pushed himself off the ledge, plummeting towards Alex. The soles of the boy’s shoes planted themselves squarely on Alex’s face. And when his vision came back, he was staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom.

His phone’s alarm was buzzing on the night stand next to him, and the sky outside his window was the purple-blue hue of the sunrise. He sat up, his whole body feeling sore and skin clammy with sweat. It was the peak of summer when the humidity was most cruel. Briefly, he wondered how The Farmer could deal with it. His grandparents had central air in their house, but all the farm-based cottage had was a fan.

Alex dismissed the alarm and pulled himself out of bed. He felt groggy, but that’s wasn’t unusual following nightmares. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pulled himself up and headed for the shower. He would usually dream of his father this time of year, but the rest was new. He was sure it wasn’t a memory. He had never played with anyone aside from Haley as a child. As he scrubbed the shampoo into his scalp, the fragments of the dream joined the suds and washed themselves down the drain.

* * *

 Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 20

* * *

The sky bled with a dark purple-blue color by the time Alex walked back onto the farm’s property. The sun had just set below the horizon, and the first of the stars appeared among the clouds that had gathered overhead. The cool and humid night air felt good against his skin. He carried plastic bag filled with seed packets while the leftover gold from selling today's harvest jingled in his pocket.

The farm was finally starting to look like it had before the storm. Better than before, in fact. The corn field had doubled in size, the melon patch had sprung up again, and you could feed a small army with the amount of blueberry bushes that had sprouted up. The lights were on in the new chicken coop, spilling out from the open door.

Alex set the bag down on the cottages front stoop and made his way over to the chicken coop. Inside, he found The Farmer, sitting with his back to the door. He held feed in his outstretched hand towards the two chickens that huddled together on the far side of the coop, Maria and Lissa - and to be honest, Alex couldn’t tell them apart. The Farmer wore a determined expression, his brow creased and his lips curled into a frown.

Alex leaned against the door-frame, crossing his arms and half-smiling at the situation. The chickens froze at his appearance, large eyes wary. “They didn’t do it yesterday and they aren’t going to do it today,” Alex said.

“That’s because you showed up,” The Farmer retorted, not taking his eyes from the chickens. “Lissa seemed interested earlier, but ran when she heard you come. They’ll come to trust me eventually.”

“Yeah, until you turn one of them into chicken nuggets.”

One of the chickens screamed.

The Farmer sighed and threw the feed back into the tray at his feet. He shot Alex a dirty look. “I would never subjugate them to that experience. If anyone is eating my birds they’re gonna enjoy it the natural way, not processed.”

Alex walked over and offered a hand to help The Farmer up. “Don’t you think that’s why they don’t trust you?”

The Farmer took it, pulling himself up and onto his crutches. “Or maybe it’s because you keep bringing up the fact that they’re livestock. How would you feel if your parent's friends showed up and said they should have named you Drumstick and Wing Bar?"

Alex snorted. “I’d think my parents should get friends who aren’t cannibals.”

The Farmer huffed. “You’d make a terrible meal anyways. You’d be too stringy. You’re nothing but muscle and bone,” he said before he shuffled out of the coop. Alex followed, flipping the lights off and pulling the door shut behind him.

They walked towards back towards the cottage side-by-side, Alex having to slow his pace slightly to match The Farmers. He asked, “How’s your leg feeling?”

“I hardly feel any more pain,” The Farmer said. “Hopefully I can get this off soon.”

“Aw, growing bored of me already?”

“I mean, I could do without the witty backsass all the time.”

Alex laughed. “You’re right, I’m a terrible employee.”

“And you wonder why I don’t pay you anything.” They’d reached the porch, and The Farmer nodded at the plastic bag. “I mean look, you don’t even put things away properly.”

“If I do it right now, do my chances for a raise go up?”

A smile quirked at the corner of The Farmer’s mouth. “We’ll talk about it during your next annual review.”

Alex scooped up the bag and went to place it next to The Farmer’s tool chest in the cottage. When he came back out, he found The Farmer sitting on the edge of the porch looking out over the field. Alex sat down next to him. A warm wind swept peacefully through the farm, and Alex closed his eyes to enjoy the feel on it on his face. When he opened his eyes, he noticed soft flashes of light becoming visible across field. Fireflies were dipping in and out of the tall grasses and hovering about the crops, becoming brighter as the Sun plunged the farm further into the night.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me Alex,” The Farmer said. He continued to look out over the farm, eyes transfixed on the small bugs.

“It’s not that big a deal.”

“No, it is.” The Farmer turned to Alex. “I honestly don’t know if I could have fixed everything up as fast as we have if I had done it on my own. I really, truly appreciate everything.”

The sheer sincerity behind The Farmer’s eyes caught Alex off-guard. He took a moment before saying, “Well, I mean, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

A small smile touched The Farmer’s lips. “Yeah, we are.” He brought his hands together in his lap and looked down at them. A moment passed. “You know, in my grandpa’s letter, he said he left me this farm because he thought I’d end up like him one day.”

“What, inheriting the family business?”

The Farmer shook his head. “In his letter he said his reason for leaving the city was because it was no longer fulfilling. That he had forgotten what truly matters. Connecting with other people.” The Farmer paused. “To be truthful, I really had no intention of connecting with anyone after I moved here. I was just gonna be the reclusive farmer on the edge of town. I think I was still stuck in the mindset of Joja, that my job was most important.”

Alex watched as a firefly flew towards the Farmer. It hovered about The Farmer’s face, casting a dim light over his features. The light made his smile look sad. “So what changed?”

This paused was longer, but The Farmer looked directly at him. “You did.”

Alex blinked. “Me?”

The Farmer gave a single laugh at the reaction. “I mean seriously look at us Alex. The hopeful pro-gridball player and the local farmer. We’re a pretty funny combination if you look at us from a different perspective.”

Alex’s chest felt light. It was similar to when Haley teased him. “I don’t know. It could be a pretty heart-warming story with the right spin.” Alex raised his hands above his head and then spread them out like he was revealing a headline. “‘Star athlete Alex Mullner still a down-to-earth guy, helps local business owner thrive.’ Pretty good, amiright?”

The Farmer tilted his head to the side wearing a joking smile. “I suppose it’s not bad. Just so long as you don’t forget about us little people.”  

“Never in a million years. We’re buds for life.” Alex’s grin was wide, but The Farmer's expression seemed somber. He looked away from Alex, his smile fading. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” The Farmer said. “Well, I’m just glad we’re still friends.”

“Why would we not be?”

“You may be surprised to hear this, but some people don’t know how to react to gay people. I kinda expected you to be along the same lines. I almost half-expected you to say ‘That’s cool, just don’t hit on me.’”

Alex recalled the piggy-back ride down from the spa. The Farmer had said something about him being a typical jock. “Oh, you mean like what you said when you first hurt your leg.”

The Farmer nodded. “In the city, if anyone had a problem with me it was pretty easy to avoid them. It was one big mess living out there. But here, I couldn’t run if someone didn’t like me. I can’t just disappear into a crowd.”

“Do you,” Alex paused, “sorry if this is insensitive, but do you think about it a lot? I mean, being gay?”

The Farmer shrugged. “I mean, it’s just kinda apart of who I am. Some days I just go about my life as normal and other days I just wanna scream it from the rooftops. I-” There was a long pause. Alex could see the silent deliberation in The Farmer’s eyes as uncertainty passes his expression. “Actually, I find I spend a lot of nights thinking about my future, you know?”

Alex has a sudden rush of thoughts - his grandparents, his obsession with gridball - but the nightmare rushed through the strongest. He swung his head back towards the fields and they sat in silence, staring out over the fireflies. Eventually Alex found his voice, coming out as a heavy murmur. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

There was a pregnant pause, broken by The Farmer. “What do you think about?”

Alex exhaled heavily. “Well, my grandparents are old. I know they’re not gonna be around forever and that I can’t keep ignoring that. How about you?”

“Mostly about what I’m doing with my life and if I’m gonna end up alone," The Farmer sighed.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You’re worried about being alone?”

“Well my dating pool hasn’t exactly gotten bigger after moving out here. I know it’s dumb to worry about.” His voice raised in pitch slightly, like he was trying to imitate a mid-day talk show host. “‘You don’t need a man to live a complete life, learn to be happy by yourself’, and all that jazz. Meanwhile you have a legitimate concern.”

“Hey, hey. Don’t short yourself. Didn’t your grandpa say that connections with other people are important? A romantic relationship is just another connection with someone.”

The Farmer sighed. “I mean, I guess. But I doubt he had ‘Land a bomb-ass trophy husband that supports and love you’ when he wrote that line.”

Alex laughed. “Excuse me, but a trophy husband? Are you serious?”

“Alex, I’m a farmer,” he declared. “I am literally going to be bringing home the bacon.”

“Hm, I guess I could see the appeal. Whoever you manage to charm wouldn’t never have to worry about going hungry.”

“Hey,” The Farmer reached over and flicked the side of Alex’s head. “Don’t jinx me like that. If I have something come through and wipe out my crops I’m blaming you.”

Alex smirked at him, “That's okay by me. If you lose your livelihood, you and your future husband can come live in my mansion.”

“What, since you’ll be a pro-gridball player you automatically have a big house?”

“Exactly. I always told my grandparents I'd take care of them when I made it big. It shouldn't be hard taking care of two extra people on a six-figure salary.”

The Farmer huffed. “I take it all back. You are arrogant, thinking like that.” There was pause as he looked once again at the field. “You really think I’ll find someone?”

“Absolutely.” A smile crept onto Alex's face. “There’ll eventually be a guy in Pelican Town that thinks you’re cuter than me.”

The Farmer’s eyes were cast down, and he sighed heavily. Which was far from what Alex had expected. “Eventually,” The Farmer echoed. There was a sudden weight against Alex’s side as The Farmer leaned into him. He rested his head on Alex’s shoulder and yawned. “Is this okay? I’m tired, but I don’t wanna go inside yet.”

The Farmer’s face was hidden from Alex’s view this way. Something felt off to him, but he couldn’t place it. Instead, all he could manage was, “Ah, yeah. ‘S cool.”

* * *

Red peered out over the land, on a vigilant guard. Its lookout partner, Blue, snored nearby. The two Junimos sat in a tree on the edge of the farm, part of the first watch for the foul beast kept by The Farmer. It was a true mystery as to how the Chosen One had managed to coerce such a fearsome creature to guard his property. Truly a testament to The Farmer’s might.

Normally they’d have to spend all night trying to distract it and keep it away from the community center, but tonight was different. The cat had not moved from its resting place where they had found it. It sat in the center of the dirt path leading to the farm, illuminated by moonlight. At first the Junimos had thought the cat asleep, but Saber’s ears were upright and alert and his tail twitched back and forth every so often. They dared not approach him.

There was a rustling from below, which woke Blue. Blue started, looking around wildly and yelling. “Don’t get on the bus, horsey!”

“Shhhh!” Red hushed. It glanced back at the cat, but Saber had taken no notice. Below, two more Junimos, Orange and Yellow, were making their way up the tree.

“How’s tonight’s watch?” Orange asked once on the tree branch.

Blue shrugged its tiny arms. “The beast hasn’t moved all night. Maybe you’ll get off easy?”

“Think it’s luring us into a false sense of security?”

“I hope not,” Yellow said. “If we get an easy night then we can work on 'Escape! The Second Act.'”

“Please stop giving your plans those dumb names,” Blue said.

“Hey,” Orange snapped. “Those plans have saved my life.”

The three Jumino’s squabbled among themselves, but Red keep looking over the farm. It was bothered by the change in behavior. The older Jumino’s often said that cats were as cunning as they were cruel. Saber was certainly cruel, but cunning?

Movement near the cottage caught Red’s gaze. The door had been opened, but not by The Farmer. One of the villagers, the one that had been assisting him, did it. He held The Farmer in his arms, as The Farmer appeared to have been asleep. Red watched what it could through the glimpses it caught in the windows. The man was putting The Farmer into bed.

“Hey!” Orange’s voice cut above the others. “Where’s Saber?”

Red’s attention snapped back to where the cat had been, finding it empty. Yellow and Blue immediately blamed each other, but Red tuned them out. What was most important was finding Saber again and ensuring he wasn’t going to assault their home.

The branches of the nearest tree shifted, and all the Jumino’s fell quiet. Turning slowly, Red saw a pair of bright yellow eyes glistening in the moonlight. The yellow pupils were wide, realizing the mistake.

Red screamed, “DIVE!”

All four Jumino’s made a leap of faith, soaring towards the ground as Saber’s claws sank into the branch they had just been on. Red rolled when it landed and ran as fast as it could. The pounding of paws against earth told it that Saber had chosen to chase Red. Red charged blindly for town, needing to get away.

But in its haste, Red tripped. Toppling head over feet, it tumbled out of the woods and into the dirt path. Seconds later, Saber leapt out from the bushes. He landed a few inches away with claws outstretched, haunches raised, and tail fluffed. Red was certain it stared death in the face, and that death had horrible stinky breath.

“Saber?”

The cat looked away, and Red used the distraction to dive back into the woods. Once in the safety of the underbrush, Red dared look back. Saber was watching the spot it had disappeared from with interest. The villager, the man that had been with The Farmer, was walking down the path towards the cat.

“What are you doing out here?” The man said. He picked up the cat and nestled it in his arms. Saber did not protest, but also did not look away from Red’s hiding spot. “You know he’ll worry if you’re not on the farm when he wakes up." The man sighed. "Guess I should take you back.”

Saber’s tail flicked, and it blinked at the Jumino.

As the man turned and left with Saber, the other three Jumino rushed silently across the pathway to Red’s hiding spot.  

Blue was first, tumbling into the bushes. It exclaimed, “Red, are you okay?”

Red nodded. “I’m fine. But Blue, we should head back.”

“Why?”

The Junimo cast a glance back at the man. Visible only to Red, a soft glow was starting to emanate from the man’s shoulder. “There’s something I think the elder should hear.”


	7. Summer's End

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 23rd

* * *

 

The Farmer was convinced that the universe was out to _personally_ fuck him over.  Less than a month after uprooting his city life, he sprains his ankle. Then the universe dropped a _literal angel_ into his life as an apology. A wicked apology, because said angel came with a set of abs that made him seriously consider using for his laundry. And then just for kicks, the universe decided that now was the perfect time for a sweltering heat wave, meaning those abs, along with everything else, was on display. Alex was tilling a patch of earth meant to be the beginning of The Farmer’s wheat field, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts - shorts that could honestly stand to be a little shorter.

The pencil in The Farmer’s hand tapped irritably against his notebook. He knew he really shouldn’t stare, but previous experience told him that Alex never noticed. He’d failed to take advantage of the opportunity at the spa, but that was in a poorly lit room with a stranger. Now, he had all afternoon to ogle his friend’s body, and the thought brought a wave of shameful embarrassment washing over him. He’d told himself repeatedly that the two of them were just gonna be friends. Alex had given no signs of ever being interested, much less so reciprocating any romantic inclinations, so for The Farmer’s own piece of mind he needed to move on.

He _needed_ to move on, but Yoba damn, the man was pleasing on the eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that Alex could crush a melon between his thighs.

He heard the soft clinks of ice against glass as a pitcher of pink lemonade was placed on the porch along with a tray of glasses. Haley sat down next to The Farmer, pouring herself a glass. Haley had been making frequent visits to the farm recently, declaring that she was bored being in town all by herself. She often helped herself to whatever was in The Farmer’s kitchen and made the trio snacks and drinks. She and Alex had one unexpected trait in common, which was they both had bottomless stomachs. The Farmer often thought Pam had been Gus’ only headache during festivals, but these two could easily give Pam a run for her money.

Despite the fact she was emptying his fridge with each appearance, he truly enjoyed Haley’s unexpected visit. It was nice to have someone to talk to during his 'medical leave' from work, and when she came it meant she’d catch him up on town gossip and history.

“I was starting to miss sitting at the ice cream stand with Alex, you know?” Haley said as she handed The Farmer a glass. “But I actually like this better. The stand only has that dinky chair and umbrella, but you’ve got a nice wide porch with shade, and lemonade. Plus I get to watch a cute little farmhand work his eye candy.” Haley sighed happily. “I wonder if this is what it’s like to be rich.”

The Farmer took a drink himself, straining to not rise to agree with her. He’d still only come out to Alex and Penny, and was currently getting a read on Haley. He veered the conversation to talk of her earlier statement. “So if you and Alex are here, who’s manning the ice cream stand?”

“I think Jas and Vincent are.”

“Not by themselves I hope.”

Haley laughed. “Of course not. Penny’s supervising them, and Lewis said if anyone asks, Penny’s the one running the stand and the kids are enthusiastic volunteers. I mean, if Vincent was left unsupervised, the stand ice cream supply would disappear.”

“What do you mean? Does he have a bad sweet tooth?”

Haley flicked her hand at him, wearing a look that said she had been waiting to dish this piece of gossip. “You have no idea. Two years ago during the valley fair, Vincent got his hands on one of Marnie double chocolate and fudge pound cakes with her knowing. She never noticed, and he ended up stealing, I think it was seven more? Anyways, the boy was so hopped up on sugar that he stole a sword and got into one of Marlon’s cages. Wanted to prove that he could be an explorer and kill the skeleton.”

“Oh my god,” The Farmer laughed. “How did Jodi take it?”

“Well she was all tears and worry until he was safe. Once he was out of the cage she grabbed his ear and dragged him all the way home in front of everyone. I think he’s technically still grounded.”

The Farmer chuckled, imagining what it must have looked like finding Vincent, barely two feet tall, ready to square off with the undead. “Maybe I could take him into the mines with me. Make him my protege.”

Alex had approached without The Farmer noticing, causing the injured man to jump when Alex took the glass of lemonade out of his hand. Alex threw his head back and swallowed the lemonade in a single gulp. “Good luck with that. You’d have to have some serious charisma to convince Jodi to let him out of the house, let alone into the mines.”

The Farmer had nothing smart to say back. He probably would have, he’d been getting particularly good at witty remarks after having spent every day of the past month with Alex. However, trying to avoid any obvious staring took up most of his current processing power. He simply nodded, taking the glass back and staring at the spot Alex had drank from.

Fortunately, Haley had him covered. She pinched her nose shut as she said, “Ugh, Alex, why don’t you go hang out with the animals or something? You reek of sweat.” Alex frowned at her, and then wiped the sweat from his forehead to flick at her. Haley recoiled. “Ah! Alex that’s gross!”

“Like you can complain. It’s like a hundred degrees and I’m actually working. You get to sit in the shade with the lemonade.”

“Actually,” The Farmer jumped in, “If you wanna wait until the sun goes down, you can muck out the chicken coop. You'll be inside even. The heat’ll cause the whole farm to stink if we don’t change the hay.”

Alex turned his frown on The Farmer. “Oh, yeah perfect idea. ‘Go clean up chicken shit that reeks to high heaven. Isn’t that better than dying in the sun?’”

“It needs to be done eventually.”

Alex groaned, and continued to do so as he dropped himself face-first onto the porch next to The Farmer. “How can two chickens produce so much shit?” His muffled voice spoke into the wood. “They eat like a handful of food.”

“Hey, hey,” The Farmer playfully poked Alex’s side. “No complaining mister. You can take a break after the chickens are properly cared for.”

Alex turned his head so The Farmer could see his glare. “You’re relentless.”

“And you’re here of your own free will,” The Farmer smiled.

“Why sure, I’d love another glass,” Haley declared, pouring herself more lemonade. “I’m so glad you asked.”

“Shut up and pour me a glass Haley,” Alex said. “I’m literally dying.”

“Don’t feel like it.”

* * *

 

It turned out that Haley wasn’t the farm’s only visitors that day. About an hour after Alex had started mucking out the chicken coop, Robin's voice interrupted Haley’s gossip. She, along with her family, made their way towards the cottage carrying a sofa between them. Sebastian was the only one not dressed for the weather, because he apparently owned nothing but black hoodies and denim jeans. His face was red and it was obvious that Maru was carrying most of his share of the weight. The Farmer would have rose to join them, but given his present leg injury, he hopped they’d forgive him and opted instead to wave hello.

The family set the couch in front of him on the grass. Sebastian all but collapsed onto the deck, but not before snatching up the pitcher of lemonade and downing it, ice and all, in several massive gulps.

Haley watched him, morbid fascination coloring her expression. When he released the pitcher, Haley tentatively picked it up, as if Sebastian might lash out for it. “I guess I’ll refill this,” she said. Sebastian simply replied with a less than enthusiastic thumbs up and a mumble that was probably meant to be a ‘Thank you.’

Robin did not bother explaining nor defending her son's actions. She turned to The Farmer instead. “So, where do you want this?”

The Framer raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Can’t you tell?” Maru said. “We have come bearing a gift.”

“Courtesy of Mayor Lewis.” Robin said. “He was so ecstatic about the Luau going over well. Apparently the governor absolute loved the fish that you had brought. So once he was done kissing up, Lewis commissioned me to help fill out your place. Paid for the materials and everything.”

“Oh my god,” The Farmer was taken aback. He was used to giving others gifts, but those were usually crops or flowers. A couch was on a whole different level. It was almost humbling. “It...It’s really mine?”

Robin beamed. “It really is! So, where do you want it?”

“Well, I guess in front of the fireplace. But you’ll have to move my table.”

He moved to stand, intending to direct the movement of furniture, but Robin put a hand out. “We can handle it. For now just rest your leg.”

Her family, minus Sebastian who was left to sun-dry on the porch, picked up the couch with ease and disappeared into his home. Haley emerged a few moments later with a new pitcher of lemonade. With slightly more dignity, Sebastian took it from her hands and once again forgoed a glass to drink directly from the source.

“Ah, it’s getting late,” Haley said, unable to look away from Sebastian. “I’m gonna take off. Tell Alex I’ll see him later.”

When Haley disappeared from sight, Maru and Demetrius emerged from the cottage with Robin behind. Maru nudged Sebastian, who had returned to lying face-down on the porch. “Alright Mr. Heatstroke. Time to get you home before you pass out.”

Sebastian pulled himself to his feet. He managed to say, “I’m not going to pass out,” before losing consciousness. Luckily for him, Maru had crouched down and managed to caught him in a fireman's hold.

With her brother's limp body hanging from her shoulders, she turned and smiled at The Farmer. “I’ll see you around.”

He waved them good-bye, watching Maru and Demetrius go on ahead. Robin hung behind, arms crossed over her chest with a warm smile on her face. She said, “I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I’m glad you moved out here.”

The Farmer shot her a quizzical look. “Why?”

“When I first saw you step off that bus, I didn’t think you’d last a day. You looked exhausted and beaten down, in no way ready to take on a life of hard labour. And when you talked with others, you seemed hesitant to share anything.” She reach out and ruffled his hair. “But look at you now! Those bags under your eyes have lightened, you’re selling produce and raising animals, and you look genuinely happy. Not to mention you’re quickly turning into an attractive young man,” she added with a wink.

The Farmer blushed. It felt like praise his own mother would give. “Well, I’m glad I defied your expectations then.”

“You’d better keep it up then. And keep out of trouble, or you end up with actual broken bones.” Robin’s expression sobered a bit during a pause. “Ah, I hope I'm not overstepping anything, but Lewis told me about how your grandfather passed away from overwork. I can already tell you inherited some recklessness from him. So take care of yourself, okay? If you ever need a home-cooked meal or someone to talk to, our doors are always open.”

“I’ll be okay,” The Farmer thought back on his grandfather. When he had been alive, he was the only one living in the cottage. Yet he never once showed a sign of loneliness. With a smile, The Farmer thought that it was probably because of people like Robin who had lived in Pelican Town before. Then he said aloud, “Thank you, Robin.”

Robin grinned and ruffled his hair one more time.

* * *

 

The Wizard stormed about his tower, wanting to vent his anger. He made the door to his cellar fly open with a flick of his fingers and stepped over the hole. He floated down the hole while muttering angrily to himself, “Straight up ignore me for four chapters why don’t you?”

He ignored the magic mirrors that he had been force set up years before for the purpose of The Farmer - had The Farmer any desire to alter his appearance - and made for another door. It was covered in brightly colored hazard signs that used to hang on Sam’s bedroom door. He didn’t steal them, just waited until they had been thrown out after the man had moved on from his edgy teenager phase. Inside were some of his more volatile potions, the effects of which ranged from being unable to think of common words when speaking to a week long case of spinach being caught in your teeth.

“See what happens when you ignore me for too long.” The Wizard continued to mutter to himself. “So what if I’m not a love interest? I was a candidate for romancing The Farmer. But no, everyone was head-over-heels for the sad alcoholic chicken man.” He threw open the door with his own hands rather than his magic.  The carefully labels jars that filled the shelves all along the walls had colorful additions sitting among them. Juminos were sitting in between and on top of the jars, a few were even carrying the jars around, the dark liquids sloshing about.

For a second, the air was heavy with silence.

Then one of the Junimos screamed. “RUN!!!”

Screams filled the air and several jars shattered on the floor, filling the room with smoke as the Junimos flooded out. The Wizard was knocked off his feet and carried by the wave back towards the cellar’s ladder.

“Wait,” his cries falling on deaf ears. “I need to go back!”

He tumbled in the air, feeling like he was caught in a washing machine. The Junimos were unable to scale the ladder in their panic, falling off after only making it up three rungs. Eventually, The Wizard conjured his magic and propelled himself into the air away from the thriving mess of a carpet the Junimos had become. He turned his attention immediately towards the closet they had poured out of, but realized he was too late.  Rainbow colored smoke was bubbling in the closet, sparking with lighting every second.

“Brace yoursevles!” The Wizard shouted.

The smoke rushed forward with a bang, filling the air with the sounds that grated against The Wizard’s ears: an out of tune band playing Pomp and Circumstance; the ABC's song sun in reverse by a child's voice ; and K-Pop sung with a heavy French accent.  Thick ropes grappled his limbs, and he was thrown about the air. Vertigo overtook him and it was a challenge to summon enough willpower to keep the contents of his stomach from ejecting.

When the smoke cleared, The Wizard found himself staring at his tower, but his perspective was flipped. It had been vines, not ropes, that had grabbed him. They covered the interior of his home, sprinkled with caught Junimos at random intervals. There were blossoming flowers along the vines that filled the air will pollen and made him sneeze. He cursed under his breath.

_“Oh look, you’re upside-down._

_But don’t blame us, for getting turned around._

_We’re just here to have some fun,_

_Along with ev-ery-one._

_Don’t lose your head and have a meltdown!”_

Giggles filled the air and The Wizard was filled with dread as he realized the flowers were talking to him. Razor sharp teeth lined the flowers petals, which curled inwards to form grotesque smiles.  Worse yet, they were speaking in poetry.

“I hate bad limericks.” The Wizard sighed. Then louder, “Look at what you’ve done to my house! Why were you spirits rummaging around my basement?”

“We needed a potion,” one outside of The Wizard’s line of sight said.

“Don’t tell him!” Another yelled.

“But maybe he can help us,” said yet another. “We can’t get out of these vines.”

“And you think he can?”

“I can,” The Wizard yelled. “I can do it in a blink of an eye.”

“I don’t believe you,” several of the Junimo yelled back.

The Wizard inhaled heavily, managing not to choke on the pollen, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he had been righted and the vines around him disappeared. There was a glass bottle in his hand with a single razor-toothed flower in it. He held it up with a smile. “See?”

“Then get us out of here!” An Orange Junimo screamed from its spot pinned against a bookshelf.

The Wizard tossed the bottle across the room. It sailed through the air and landed in his black cauldron. “And why should I do that? You broke into my home and intended to steal my property, then caused this disaster.” He threw his hand out, “You’re not very good at breaking and entering, are you?”

“That’s not true!” A Yellow Junimo protested. “We steal The Mayor’s lucky shorts every week and he still doesn’t realize it!”

“To be fair he leaves them everywhere,” A Blue Junimo added quietly.

“Quiet!” The Wizard snapped. “Unless you give me a valid reason to let you down in the next ten seconds, I’m going to leave you attached to the walls and force you to listen to limerick's the rest of your lives. It’ll certainly make studying you easier.”

_“There is only one way to quell the beast,_

_Most times you must stuff it with a feast!_

_Better think quick!_

_Jump on a pogo stick!_

_Lest you all are turned to yeast!”_

The Wizard pinched his temples together and muttered, “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“And what if we make a deal with you?” The Wizard looked up. The voice belonged to a White Junimo, slightly larger than the rest. “If you let us down, we will answer any questions you have. But we’d also ask a favour of you.”

“You would ask me a favour after you destroy my home?”

The Junimo looked almost ashamed, but it was hard to tell since the features of its face were unable to move. “Please, we need your help.”

The Wizard sighed, but closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the tower was back to normal and glass bottles filled with flowers hovered around him. With a flourish of his wrist, the bottles all floated towards the cauldron and dropped in. The Junimos were gathered against the opposite side of the tower. As the Wizard crossed over to his cauldron, a few of the spirits approached him; White, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Orange.

Red was apparently the bravest, leaping onto The Wizard’s shoulder and peering into the cauldron. “What type of magic do you specialize in anyways?”

“Plot convenience.” The Wizard made a swipe at Red, but the Junimo had reflexes like a horsefly. It was already safely out of reach when The Wizards empty hand reached his shoulder. He sighed, “So, why did you need my help?”

White stepped forward, the largest. “We have concerns about our future in this town. We were on the edge of extinction only two months ago, but then The Hero appeared and began rekindling this town's connection with nature.” It's voice was old and raspy, probably one of the elders. Can Junimos actually age?

“The Hero?”

The Junimo reached out its hand. “Here.”

The Wizard took it, and he had a vision. He saw a young man he was familiar with, but obviously from the past. The man's hair was disheveled and his clothing was only taken off halfway. His dress shirt still had the bottom button still done, his pants were around his ankles, and he still wore a shoe on one foot. He was asleep on the floor, looking like he had rolled off the couch. Nearby, garbage piled up in the hallway and the sink was overflowing with dirty dishes and empty boxes of Chinese take-out. White was silently following Red through the apartment, while Red pointed repeatedly at the man sleeping on the floor.

“You mean The Farmer?” The Wizard asked.

White nodded. “We can only exist if our home remains close to nature and the residents keep a close relationship with us. We used to keep our contract with The Hero's ancestor, but he grew old and sick and was unable to keep his promise. But as he died, he assured us that one day his descendant would appear and protect us.”

Blue stepped forward. “But there have been problems that gives us concern. There has been a demon that is tearing apart our home.” Blue touched The Wizard's hand, and he saw Morris in the community center. He entered, holding a hammer, and drove it into part of the sheetrock. Morris looked very shocked at the hole, like he hadn't just caused it. He tutted, shook his head, and left muttering about how the old building would fall in on itself one of these days. This vision repeated in The Wizard’s head, as Morris continued to slowly desecrate the community center day by day.

“And you meant to kill this demon?”

“Oh heavens no,” Green said. “We are peaceful spirits.”

The Wizard shot it a look of doubt, clearly remembering Green driving its tiny feet into his face at the beginning of Spring. “Then why were you in my dangerous potions closet?”

“We were looking for something to scare him away.” Yellow explained. “It’ll take time for us to regain our connection with the valley. Even with The Hero’s help, it may take several years.”

“If that demon continues to destroy our home every night, it won’t stand for several weeks.” Orange said.

The Wizard stroked his beard. “I suppose I can cook up a warding potion. Something that will turn him away every time he tries to enter the building.”

“We would be most grateful if you could,” White said. “Also, we ask that you can help us in one other matter.”

“And that would be?”

White was quiet for a moment. “It would be easier to show you. Are you able to conjure an image of The Hero?”

The Wizard waved his hand over the cauldron. The bubbling green liquid gave way, rippling into a clearer image of the farm. It was sunset now, and the image focused in on The Farmer speaking to Alex. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but both men appeared to be enjoying themselves. The several Junimo’s leapt up to the edge of the pot - Orange almost fell in -  and White nodded at Red. “Can you show him?”

Red nodded, placing one of its hands on The Wizard. He saw through its eyes. Nothing changed in the cauldron, but he could see two thin lines of red light floating up from their bodies and disappearing into the sky. When Red removed its hands, the lights disappeared.

“What was that?” The Wizard asked.

“We may be nature spirits,” Red said, “But each of us can resonate with a certain human emotion. I can see the lines of love that connect individuals.”

“And you need my help with what then?”

“We wish to give The Hero a partner, to help ensure he does not overwork himself,” White said. “But the rest of us cannot see the lines, so we cannot help pick candidates. We need your help amplifying our powers so Red can share its vision with the rest of us.”

“Candidates?” The Wizard looked back at the cauldron. “Didn’t what you just show me mean that these two are in love?”

Red shook its head. “They share a strong bond, but it not romantic. The Hero also has ties with The School Teacher, The Craftswoman, The Photographer, and The Mayor. There are many different types of love, not just romantic ones. If we can figure out which lines mean what, it will help us pick an appropriate partner.”

“Of course, if he ends up having ties with the whole town,” Yellow said, “chances are good that many people will care for his well-being just as much as we do. So the rest of us will focus on trying to help The Hero cultivate friendships with those that he does not yet have a bond with.”

The Wizard crossed his arms. “You know, you all have good intentions, but if you’re gonna go pick out a romantic partner for The Farmer, you should at least keep in mind his preference.”

“Preference for what?” Orange asked.

“For,” The Wizard stopped, realizing he was giving nature spirits the birds and the bees talk. He sighed but continued. “Humans have preference when it comes to their life partner’s gender. Some prefer to have partners of the opposite gender, some don’t consider gender to affect their choice of a partner, and some feel like they don’t need a partner. As for The Farmer, he prefers partners of the same gender.”

“So he’s gay?” Green asked.

“It’s 2017,” Blue exclaimed. “They’re all gay. Get with the program.”

The Wizard brought his hands to his head and massaged his temples. Clearly they were more up to speed on human culture than he thought, but he didn’t want to bother finding out how much they knew. He was getting a migraine it was afraid the conversation would last for several more pointless paragraphs. He sighed again.

“Okay,” The Wizard said. “I’ll help you. But you need to gather some ingredients for me first."

* * *

 Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 26th

* * *

 

The Farmer’s first thought was that standing on both feet again was a the worst. Harvey had assured him that his ankle was fully healed, but it felt stiff and awkward thanks to the brace preventing him from using it for an entire month. He felt like a penguin while hobbling out of the clinic, and was grateful that Maru kept her laughter silent.

It was late, but there were still at least an hour before anyone would dare say the sun was setting. The air had started to lose its thick humidity and the nights carried the faintest hint of a chill to them. Pelican Town was mostly empty and quiet when The Farmer left the clinic. The only unsightly exception to that was Morris, standing in front of Joja Mart with a megaphone.

“Are you sick of living outside of the delivery area for pizza?” Morris bellowed, “Well no worries! Introducing Joja’s new line of Frozen Pizza. _‘It’s Not Delivery, It’s Joja!’_ ”

The Farmer had half a mind to use his newfound mobility to cross the cobblestone bridge to punch Morris. He was pretty sure that since there wasn’t a police station in Pelican Town, the police duties fell on Lewis. He was also pretty sure that if push came to shove, he had bribed Lewis with enough crops to get out of any assault charges.

Ultimately, he decided it wasn’t worth his time. A walk would probably be a better use of his time, that way he could regain a proper sense of how to use his foot. He glanced around, deliberating which route he’d take home. His eyes fell on Alex’s house.

_Oh right. I guess I should let Alex know my leg is better._

His pace was deliberately slow, and not just because of his ankle. The thought of telling Alex he no longer needed to come over was a depressing thought. Now that The Farmer could resume solo work, would Alex have any more reason to come over? The Farmer shook his head. Of course Alex would still visit. They were friends.

“That’s a good boy, Dusty.”

The Farmer halted. He was behind the Saloon, just within sight of Dusty’s dog pen. That was Alex’s voice he had heard, and it was much heavier than The Farmer had ever heard it before. He inched as silently as he could to the edge of the building, spying Alex sitting cross-legged in the dirt with his back to The Farmer. The old dog was draped across Alex’s lap, tail sifting back and forth in the dirt happily from receiving scratches behind the ear.

Alex muttered to the dog, “You might be the only one around here who understands me. No one else has seen the kind of stuff that you and I have.” He sighed heavily. “I hate this time of year.”

Dusty’s eyes opened, spotting The Farmer. The dog gave a small huff of recognition, and Alex turned. The Farmer’s heartbeat spiked, feeling as if he had just been caught eavesdropping on a private conversation. He stepped out before Alex’s eyes fell on him, trying his best to not look like he was hiding.

“Oh.” Alex’s eyes were glossy, a sight that drove a nail into The Farmer’s stomach. Alex rubbed his eyes before speaking. “Did you overhear me talking?”

The Farmer averted his gaze to the ground, feeling guilty. He’d already stepped out, best to probably own up to it. “Yeah, I did. Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“No, no. It’s okay,” Alex turned back to Dusty and sighed again. “I was just...just venting.” The Farmer remained where he stood, unsure of what to do. Alex eventually patted the ground next to him, and The Farmer took that as a sign to sit next to him. When he did, Dusty leaned over and licked The Farmer’s hand, looking rather content when The Farmer also gave the dog a scratch behind the ear.

Alex spoke again. “Have you ever wondered why I lived with my grandparents?”

“Sometimes,” The Farmer admitted. “But I didn’t want to pry.”

Alex didn’t respond to that. He resumed petting Dusty, as if the physical contact helped him sort his thoughts. “My father wasn’t a good guy… He… Well, he ruined everything for me and my mom. Half the time he was gone and the other half he’d drink all night and tell me I’m worthless. That I’d never amount to anything. I think he resented me for being young… Bitter because he’d wasted his youth doing nothing and had gotten nowhere in life. That’s my take on it anyways.” Alex’s voice dropped to a mutter, adding, “Who knows what that bastard was thinking.”

The Farmer wasn’t sure what to say, but he didn’t want there to be silence between them right now. “Can I ask why you thought that?”

Alex shrugged. “I played little league gridball when I still lived with my parents. Everyone was always praising me and telling my dad what a success I’d be when I was grown up. I’d never seen him do anything worthwhile, so seeing his own kid be so successful might’ve pissed him off.”

“Did he…” The Farmer stopped himself. He didn’t want to pry too deep, so decided to change the question. “What about your mother?”

Alex’s expression softened slightly. “She was great. Loving, kind, patient, everything and more that a mom should be. But since my father didn’t have a job, she’d be out working all day and night to support her son and piece of shit husband. Eventually she overworked herself.”

The Farmer stiffened. Everything clicked into place and he saw the reasoning behind Alex’s volunteering to help him.

Alex continued. “When she collapsed and was brought to the hospital, my father walked out. Not that him being there would have helped. He didn’t have money to pay the bills, and even if he did… I remember the doctors saying there was nothing they could do. Her immune system had been weakened too much to fight her sickness. I had no choice but to move in with my grandparents.”

With the heaviness of the conversation, The Farmer could feel his pulse in his eardrums. It felt like this was the first time Alex was showing his real self to him, finally dropping the persona of that arrogant jock he carried himself as. The Farmer recalled Alex’s cryptic comment from the Luau, and reached out for Alex’s hand. At the last second, he changed course and laid his own hand on Alex’s forearm. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Alex didn’t react, or say anything about it. Instead he said, “What are your parents like?”

The Farmer retracted his hand and granted Alex the shift in attention. “Well, they’re in a house off in the suburbs, old and as happy as they can be. My mom’s an office worker and my dad works in an auto shop. You already know I didn’t do well in following my mom’s footsteps, and I never had a knack for grease and metal.  So I guess I inherited my green thumb from my grandpa.”

“My grandpa mentions him from time to time,” Alex said. “Were you close?”

“I spent a lotta summers out here as a kid. So much so that even sleeping in his cottage after all these years doesn’t make me feel like a guest.” The Farmer instinctively reached up to his forehead and brushed the skin below his bangs. “But after a while my mom stopped bringing me out here. That is, until he passed away.” The Farmer looks down. “I miss him, he was honestly more of a parent to me than my parents were.”

“How so?” Alex prompted after a moment of silence.

“Well, my parents always made sure I was cared for, but sometimes it felt like they weren't invested in me. No cheering mom on the edge of the soccer field, no dad urging me to join the gridball team. They were always so wrapped up in their own ambitions, that our relationship felt more like we were roommates than parents and child. I know I haven’t told them about me being gay, but I don’t think they even have the slightest idea.” The Farmer chuckled, despite the hollow feeling that was beginning to gnaw at his chest. “I was shit roommate tho. Never paid rent and always made them clean up after me. ”

Alex shared The Farmer’s smile, but there was no light in his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch on a sore subject.”

The Farmer shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this conversation about me.”

“It’s cool. I asked about your family anyways. I decided long ago not to dwell on my parents.” Alex rubbed Dusty a little more aggressively. “Dusty here was with me through most of my childhood. He’s helped me through thick and thin.”

The Farmer scratched under Dusty’s chin, and he swore the dog smiled. “Well then, this dog deserves all the head scritches that he wants.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed. Then, to The Farmer. “Ah, thanks for listening. I didn’t mean to unload, but you seem like the type of person that won’t give me useless pity because of it.” Alex gently nudged Dusty off of his lap and stood. He offered a hand to The Farmer with a smile. “I decided long ago I don’t want sympathy from anyone. If anything, it’s made me stronger.”

The Farmer took Alex’s hand, but the other man’s smile upset him. It was the smile Alex always wore, and now a sign that he was slipping back into his persona and closing himself off. The thought unsettled The Farmer. A few days ago, heck a few weeks ago, he’d begun to think he’d finally started understanding Alex. But these last five minutes proved he’d barely scratched the surface. He knew his face was mirroring how he felt, but Alex didn’t show he’d taken notice.

“Hey,” Alex exclaimed. “You're not wearing a brace anymore.”

“Yeah.” The Farmer stuck his foot out and shook it a little bit. “Harvey says it’s good as new.”   

“That’s great!” Then Alex’s expression fell. “Oh. But I guess that means I won’t have to come over tomorrow.”

The Farmer nodded. He was having trouble reading Alex, and this atmosphere wasn’t helping.  The awkward silence and half-smiles when their eyes met wouldn’t have been so bad, but Morris had been screaming in the background about pizza’s like a broken record. The Farmer was again contemplating how much he’d enjoy punching Morris, but the gremlin was saved by Dusty. The dog whimpered, nudging against Alex’s hand.

“Oh, sorry boy.” Alex patted Dusty’s head and explained, “I usually give him a bit of steak for a treat whenever I make him listen to me. You should see what he’ll do for a whole one.” There was a sudden surge of energy behind Alex’s eyes. “Hey, I’ve got an idea! You’re not gonna be too busy tomorrow, right?”

“No. Mostly just looking after the chickens. I’ll wait until the day after to harvest.”

“Perfect! We should celebrate you getting off the crutches.” Alex beat a hand to his chest. “Just leave the planning to me. Send me a text when you’re done working, okay?”

The Farmer nodded, “Sure.”

Alex left then, taking Dusty inside with him. The Farmer waited until the door closed until he started heading home himself. He was too busy thinking of what Alex might have planned that he didn’t notice the three Junimos perched in the nearby tree, feverishly writing in a stolen notebook.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sub-plot, what sub-plot? The Junimos are just being carefree spirits and enjoying themselves. 
> 
> Please leave a comment if you're considering it. Your honest feedback is very much appreciated and lets me know if there are any aspects of my writing that I need to focus on. I'll try getting the next chapter out before Christmas, look forward to it!


	8. Beach Bums

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 27th

* * *

 

Red, Orange, and Yellow huddled together in the shadow of a gravestone. The sky above was still dark, but the horizon was turning pink, warning the spirits to approach of the rising sun. The manhole cover to the sewers was pushed aside and the darkness within was suffocating to look at.

“I had to get the garlic oil and void egg,” Yellow hissed to its fellow Junimos. “I can’t go in there. Orange should have to do it.”

“Why can’t Red do it?” Orange exclaimed. “Do you know how long I had to wait for fresh cow dung and a slime egg? I’ll smell just as bad.”

“I can’t get hurt,” Red protested. “No one else can see the strings of fate aside from me.”

“So what, I’m less important than you?”

“Yes!” Red and Yellow yelled in unison before shoving Orange towards the sewer entrance.  Orange tumbled head over feet, coming to a stop at the very edge of the open manhole. Orange cartwheeled its small arms in an attempt to not fall in, failed, and disappeared into the sewers.

Red flinched slightly when it heard Orange’s body hit the bottom. “You think Orange’s okay?”

Yellow waved off the concern with its hand. “Orange’ll be fine. I mean, we’ve got the void egg right here.” Waving its hand again, Yellow pulled a black egg  flecked with glowing red spots out of thin air. The egg vibrated angrily in Yellow’s hands, and the faint sounds of death metal and sea shanties rattled the shell.

Red looked at the egg, and then back at Yellow. “You mean to say you still have the gift.”

“Yep!”

“Orange doesn’t have the gift because you never gave it to Orange.”

“Yep.”

“And we just sent Orange to face the monster without the gift?”

Yellow's unmoving face stared off into the distance. It set the egg down gently and then took a few steps backwards, looking down at the egg as it did. “We did.”

Red’s body fell face-first into the dirt. “Oh Yoba, The Elder's gonna kill me. We just murdered Orange.”

Meanwhile, down in the sewers, Orange had rolled away from the site of impact and into the darkness. The sewers had no lighting, save from the occasional overhead grate that let in the early morning sunlight. It took a minute for the Junimo to regain its sense of balance. During that minute, Orange came to the realization that it was looking at everything upside down. Having a cube-shaped body came with its disadvantages sometimes.

Once right-side up, Orange looked around for the monster. In order to complete their potion for the red-necked devil, The Wizard had warned them that they would need to get the void and solar essences carried by shadow brutes. He told them about one that lived in the sewers, fearful of sunlight. And while this one was usually friendly, if it's safety felt threatened, it would attack.

“Hello?” Orange called out. “Mr. Krobus? We need ask you a favor!”

Two torches burst to life behind Orange. The Junimo jumped and cried out, and more torches around Orange also came to light with a loud ‘Woosh.’ Shadows in the shapes of various animals danced across the walls and floor - several bears were dancing to _Shriller_ , a group of chickens were recreating scenes from _The Brunch Club_ , and the shark near Orange’s feet was giving its best attempt at dancing The Sprinkler.

Several feet away, a darker shadow rose from the ground. This one was not dancing, and Orange could see through it’s shadowy body. The top of its head had a small wisp of shadow that looked similar to a human baby's cowlick. “You carry the scent of the dwarf on you,” Krobus said. “Why have you come? Was it to kill me?”

“No, no, no!” Orange waved its hands back and forth in front of its body. “We have come to make a purchase from your shop.”

Krobus tilted its head to the side. “But I can sense no gold on you, small spirit. How do you intend to buy?”

“I meant a trade!” Orange corrected itself. It was hard to stay focused on the task at hand, given it could still see the dancing squad of shadow bears - now performing the ending credits dance from _Loosefoot_ \- through Krobus’ body. They were surprisingly good, and Orange had the desire to stay here and watch them instead.

“A trade,” Krobus echoed. “And what do you intend to trade for?”

“We need essense, solar and void!” Orange said quickly. “And in exchanged, we bring you a void egg.” Orange waved its hand, and an egg appeared before it. Green goo dripped from the egg onto the floor. The room was silent as Orange held the egg, the animals had stopped dancing, and a sense of dread overcame the Junimo. Here it thought that everything was going well, and now it had brought a monster spawn to a monster that detested fighting.

From above, the Void Egg was thrown by Red, and it whistled through the air. It ricocheted off of Oranges face and into its hands, sending the Slime Egg flying into the air over the waterway. At the peak of the egg's flight, a massive green fish with human-like eyes leapt into the air and swallowed the egg. The fish laughed a very human sounding laugh and then disappeared back into the water.

Orange was very thankful it didn’t have a nose, but its face still throbbed in pain. “I-I offer this humble gift for exchange,” Orange said. It hoped that Krobus would also just pretend that the events of the last fifteen seconds had never happened.

Krobus said nothing. Instead, the dancing shark leapt out of the ground and swallowed the egg from Orange’s hands. Shark and egg dissolved back into shadows and swam towards Krobus to join the shadow brute’s body. The egg rose to the center of Krobus’ body, where it then separated perfectly in half.  

The death metal sea shanties played out in full volume. The walls rumbled to the voices of irish sailors and dust fell from the ceiling. Every shadow animal broke out into a simultaneous rendition of _The Sugar Plum Ogre,_ perfectly in time with the beating drums and bass line.

Krobus nodded its head, and the egg inside its body sealed itself, silencing the music. “This is acceptable,” it said. Two shadow sharks descended from Krobus’ body, carrying the glowing essence’s. They swam swiftly towards Orange, leapt into the air, and deposited the items into the Junimos outstretched hands.  

“Thank you, Mr. Krobus!” Orange bowed several times. It shoved the two essences into its face, causing them to disappear. “Oh thank you so much!” Before any of the dancing shadows or Krobus could change their minds, Orange rushed towards the ladder and scrambled up to the safety of daylight.

Red and Yellow were at the edge of the graveyard, waving for Orange to follow. Together, the three Junimos raced through town towards the safety of the community center. However, The Bartender was awake and cleaning up the front of his shop. Red sharply turned and made its way towards the two homes on the edge of town. They’d have to make their way home through the safety of the bushes on the far side of the town square. Orange and Yellow followed quickly, keeping to the pre-dawn shadows of the house.

Right as they were about to cross into the open between house and square, the ground beneath them rumbled. It rumbled to the faint beat of the death metal sea shanties they had just left with Krobus. The window of one of the homes was thrown open, and the Junimos dove into a nearby bush.

“SAM!” The Photographer screamed from the open window. “It’s not even six a.m. yet! If you don’t turn that crap down I’m going to shove the broken remains of your guitar down your throat!”

The window of the opposite house flew open, and The Musician screamed back. “It’s not me Haley, scream at someone else!”

“Oh like any other wannabe could produce music sounding that bad!”

“Like you could ever do anything better!”

The shouting match continued, and the sun was getting higher with every passing moment. Red was nudged by Yellow. “We should go now while they’re distracted,” The Junimo hissed. “They might be at this for a while.”

“Are you sure they won’t see us?” Orange whispered back.

Red dared a look beyond the leaf it was hiding behind. The Photographer was already halfway through climbing out her window, ready to propel herself across the gap and into the other house.  The Musician was cradling his guitar like a newborn while he shouted back at her. “I agree with Yellow. The longer we stay, the greater the risk is of them seeing us.”

Orange shifted nervously, but didn’t offer further protest. They went one at a time, Yellow first, and then Red, both making it to safety without any difficulty. Orange stood at the ready, watching for Yellow to signal when it was safe to cross. Yellow’s arm was raised, and Orange’s vision singled in, waiting for it to drop.

But the drop never came. Instead, Yellow’s face became covered in fear, and it began to wave its arms frantically back and forth. Red quickly followed suit. Both were gesturing wildly for Orange to run. And then, answering the question Orange had yet to ask, a branch snapped. Slowly, Orange turned and came face-to-face with it.

The Beast.

All subutely was thrown to the wind. Orange let loose the shrillest of screams and ran from the bushes. Saber cleared the bush in a single bound, sailing through the air and chasing after the spirit. Haley and Sam both stopped their screaming.

Haley’s mouth hung open as she watched the cat chase the small orange creature. “What in the world is that?”

In an instant, The Wizard appeared between the two houses. His eyes were shut and mouth turned down into a frown. He had pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, and snapped the fingers of his other. Before either Sam or Haley could react to him, both blondes fell unconscious. Sam fell to the floor, still cradling his guitar while now sucking his thumb. Haley’s limp body now hung halfway out of the open window.

The Wizard sightly loudly, then threw his head back. “These things are going to give me a permanent migraine. Hey you,” he addressed Saber, who was crouched a few feet away. The cat looked up, his cheeks comically overstuffed and squirming like a cartoon character. “Come here and spit that out.”

Saber of course didn't care what The Wizard wanted. He turned and started to run, but with a flick of his wrist, The Wizard sent a very alarmed cat into the air. Saber flailed as he was brought before The Wizard, coming to be held by the scruff of his neck with an invisible hand. Cat and man stared off, both looking equally annoyed.

“Spit that out right now,” The Wizard scolded.

Saber shook his head vigorously.

The Wizard raised his hand, fingers ready to snap at any moment. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Well, this will be easy for me either way. But I like to give individuals a choice before I have to use my magic. I hear it can be unpleasant.”

Saber glared at the fingers, tail flicking in annoyance. The Wizard raised his hand higher, and Saber spit the Junimo out. Orange tumbled to the ground, drenched in saliva. Red and Yellow rushed over from their hiding spot to assist their friend.

“Thank you. Now why don’t you go and do something useful, like waking up your caregiver. After all, he has the very important,” The Wizard made a disgusted scowl, “ _beach episode_ to go through today.” The Wizard made a sweeping motion with his hands. Saber promptly went flying through the air, over the forest towards the farm - yowling in distress the entire way.

At The Wizards feet, the three Junimos were bowing repeatedly at him. “Oh thank you,” Red cried out in joy. “Thank you for your mercy!”

To The Wizard, their praise felt very underwhelming. He spoke through gritted teeth. “Couldn’t you have gone out the other exit? You know, the one closer to my tower, and away from human eyes?”

“But we needed to get the other ingredients first,” Yellow said nervously.

The Wizard sighed again. “Fine. But if you don’t want the humans to see you, then wait until after dark to come see me. Until then,” The Wizard flicked his hand up. The Junimos all quickly rose into the air until eye level with him. “I’ll send you home so you don’t get into anymore trouble.” The three spirits shot off towards the community center, yelling their unwanted thanks to the Wizard.

He really just wanted to leave, but decided that it probably wasn’t best to leave the two humans in their current spots. So he closed his eyes, imagined them both tucked into bed and sleeping peacefully, unable to hear the egg-centric concert currently performing under their feet. When he opened his eyes, everything was exactly as he imagined. Finally, as a last minute thought and whim, he produced a bottle from his robe. The contents of the bottle was a single, toothed flower, silently giggling. The Wizard tossed it through Sam’s open window, where it shattered and produced a glittering cloud of red and white. He’d never heard Sam play his music before, but surely the boy could benefit from a poetry-speaking flower speaking to him as he slept. What’s the worst that could happen?  

* * *

 

**FARM LIFE: I’m all done with my daily work.**

**ALEX: Finally, I was done setting up ages ago**

**FARM LIFE: In my defense I’ve been off-duty for several weeks. I had to relearn how to do my job.**

**ALEX: Whatever dude.  Just come down to the beach asap!**

The Farmer pocketed his phone, smiling to himself slightly. This morning had greeted him with a rude awakening. Saber had apparently decided that he was no longer a cat was now a rooster. Evidence being that the cat had taken temporary residence on his roof, and had been yowling as loud as he could at the rising sun.

After being forced to coax Saber off of the roof, a task that took the better part of an hour, The Farmer had spent most of the morning thinking about Alex. Initially, he had been worried.  But like the man said, he didn’t want to dwell on his parents nor wanted sympathy for his past. The fact that he was able to bounce back into thinking about gridball so quickly must have meant he was alright.

A selfish thought had crossed The Farmer’s mind. _He must not talk about his parents to a lot of people then. That means I saw a special side of him_.

“Hey!” A hand grabbed The Farmer’s arm, halting him in his tracks. He was spun around and found Haley frowning at him. “Did you go deaf or something? I’ve been calling your name.”

“Oh, sorry.” The Farmer realized he’d been lost in the thought. “I was thinking about something.”

“So much so that you couldn’t even be bothered to wait? Must be serious.”

Haley was wearing a large white sun hat with a two piece swimming suit, white with different and brightly colored dots, and a bright blue beach shawl. On her left arm she carried a picnic basket and tote bag, and a beach umbrella under her right arm. She looked him up and down over the tops of her sunglasses, causing The Farmer to feel as if he had gone under-dressed for school photos. “You’re wearing that?” she said.

‘That’ was in reference to his mud-stained jeans, blue tank top, and of course one of his grandfathers bandanas. “Um, yeah. Why?”

“Don’t you own any swimming trunks?”

“No.”

Haley clicked her tongue at him. “You’re going to the beach and you’re not even ready to go swimming.”

The Farmer felt embarrassment rise up in him. “Well, I was going to meet Alex, and he never said anything about swimming. And I mean, if we swim, I could just go in my boxers…” He tailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded.

Haley frowned at him, looking him up and down once more. She looked like a model, hips jutted out to one side as she judged him. She tutted her tongue before turning her back to him. “Come on, I’ll have something you can borrow.”

She headed back towards her home, which was luckily only a few steps away. The Farmer followed obediently as she pushed the door open. Emily was sitting on the floor in front of their coffee table, which was decorated in crystals. She smiled and waved, to which only The Farmer waved back. Haley deposited her thing onto the kitchen table and pushed open a door on the other end of the kitchen.

“You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood,” Haley said as she entered the new room. “Last night night I slept like a princess and got the best beauty rest of my life.”

The Farmer followed her in. This room felt different from the rest of the house. The decor looked nothing along the lines of Haley or Emily’s tastes, instead like it had been taken directly out of a home catalogue.  It was colder, the blinds hadn’t been opened, and there was a fine layer of dust covering everything.

Haley opened a door to a walk-in closet, and The Farmer spoke up. “Um, I don’t think I’d fit into one of your swimsuits Haley.”

Haley's laughter preceded her as she walked out of the closet, handing him a pair of gray and white swimming trunks and sandals. “Oh honey, I’m not giving you one of mine. I mean,” she looked him up and down again. “Sure, I think you’d be able to fit in them, but I figured you be more comfortable in one of my dad’s pairs.”

The Farmer took the swimming trunks, looking them over. “Are you sure he won’t mind?”

“Of course not. He and mom have been out traveling for the last two years. He’s a little bigger than you, and has bland taste, but they should work just fine.” Haley nodded towards another door in the room. “Use the bathroom to change.”

“Oh, thank you Haley.” The Farmer did as she told him, feeling a little weird changing in another person’s bathroom. It was even worse that the bathroom felt just as cold and lifeless as the bedroom.

When he was done, he found Haley sitting in the kitchen, tapping away on her phone. She looked him over again from her seat. “Well, it’s better than before at least. Now, can you be oh so kind as to help me carry my bags?” There was a new, small black back next to the picket basket and umbrella. When The Farmer looked back at her, she had added a small pout to her expression, and was blinking her long eyelashes at him.

A minute later, Haley was leading the way to the beach, her large hat bobbing with every step as she tapped away at her phone. The Farmer walked next to her, carrying her things like a faithful pack mule. The umbrella was heavier than he had imagined, and had to keep adjusting his grip to not drop it. “So,” he said to her, “Did Alex invite you too?”

“Yeah, but I’m not supposed to say why.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why though. You could probably guess what it is that he has planned. He only ever has one thing on his mind like some silly puppy. Kinda looks like a mutt too, when his hair gets all wet.”

The Farmer gave it a thought, smiling at how easily he could see it. “Yeah, he kinda is like a puppy, isn’t he?”

“Not to mention he’s cute,” Haley glanced over at him. “We could probably put him in a little hat and bowtie and he’d make a good town mascot.”

The Farmer gave a soft chuckle. “Yeah, probably.”

Haley laughed harder than him at her own joke before turning back to her phone. He was glad he was slightly behind Haley, so she couldn’t see his face. He couldn’t help feeling a little crestfallen. Alex was attractive, there was no doubt about that, and he already knew most of the other women in town had taken notice. Not just Haley, but some of the older women in town would joke about how they might have a chance with him if they were only a few years younger. He knew he shouldn’t feel this twinge of jealousy. Alex was his friend, nothing more.

“Alex!” Haley broke The Farmer’s train of thought again. They were at the beach already, and Haley was waving down the boy that was dominating The Farmer’s thoughts. Alex ran over, unfortunately without a shirt and wearing a pair of yellow and green swimming trunks. This was defiantly an image that was going to replay in his mind for the next several weeks. Alex, running towards him, half-naked, pecs bouncing in the sunlight, in slow-mo like some lifeguard on _SeaWatch_.

To both his and Haley’s surprise, Alex ran right up to The Farmer, taking the umbrella from him. “Haley told me about how she kidnapped you on your way over. Hopefully she didn’t scare you too much.”

The Farmer opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak due to his very vivid day-dream he was unable to break free of. 

Fortunately, Haley saved him. “Well that’s rude,” Haley frowned at Alex, arms crossed over her chest. “I’ll have you know I did you a favor and loaned The Farmer a pair of swimming trunks. I saved you all from seeing him in his tacky underwear.”

The Farmer coughed, going red in the face, finding his voice now. "They're not tacky! You don't even know what they look like." 

Alex turned to Haley, eyebrow raised. “Well why’s that a bad thing? I was gonna go in my briefs until my grandma stopped me.”

Haley’s look melted to disgust while The Farmer suffered from another daydream that would probably be in poor taste. 

“Whatever," Haley said. "Can you boys just put my stuff down over there?” Haley pointed at another pile of items. The Farmer presumed it to be Alex’s due to the fact that the man’s varsity jacket was on top of it. Alex set up the umbrella while Haley took the tote bag from The Farmer and produced a beach blanket from inside. She instructed him to put the basket down anywhere, and to be very careful with the black bag.

“So Alex,” The Farmer said after the other man had securely placed the umbrella. “What’s this celebration you had planned?”

Alex grinned. He grabbed something from under his jacket, and hid it behind his back. “Only the funnest thing ever,” He tossed the object over his head, catching the ball and holding it out at The Farmer. “Gridball!”

The waves rolled lazily onto the beach as The Farmer stared at the ball while Haley started to fiddle with the contents of her black bag. 

“I told you you’d be able to guess it,” Haley said, producing a camera from the bag.

Alex brought ball back to his chest, a twinge of embarrassment showing on his face. “Well I, I mean it’s the funnest thing I could think of.  You haven’t had a chance to hang out at the beach since you hurt your leg, right? Well it’s not a real summer until you’ve wasted a day on the beach. And there’s a festival tomorrow, so we won’t be able to do this then.”

The Farmer smiled at Alex, taking the ball from him. “Okay, okay, you don’t gotta defend yourself. It sounds like fun.” He threw the ball into the air, but failed to catch it on the trip back down. He stood there for a moment, taking his turn to be embarrassed, before picking up the ball and handing it back to Alex. “But you might have to refresh me on the exact rules.”

Alex took the ball and gave The Farmer a playful shove. “Okay, just don’t expect me to pick you for my team.”

A camera’s shutter clicked, causing both men to look at Haley. She lifted the camera away from her face, waving one of her hands. “Oh don’t mind me. I haven’t taken a lot of photos lately, so I’ll just be watching the game and taking as many candids as I can.” Haley smiled at both of the men, and for some reason The Farmer felt unnerved.

* * *

 

The Farmer had his doubts about being able to play a game of gridball with only two people. Haley had made her dislike of participating in the game very clear when he had brought it up. But Alex said he’d invited some more people to play with, and within the next half hour, Sam, Sebastian, and Vincent had shown up. They were all dressed for the beach, even Sebastian in a pair of black swim trunks, which surprised The Farmer given his last encounter with the man.

“Abby couldn’t make it?” Alex asked.

“She’s got a summer cold,” Sam explained. “Her mom turned us away at the door.”

Alex half frowned, twirling the ball in his hands. “Well I was hoping for three-on-three, but two-on-two should work. I guess Vincent will have to sit out.”

“No way!” Vincent stomped his sandaled feet with his bottom lips stuck out. “I wanna play too.”

Sebastian raised his hand. “I’ll sit out-”

“Haley,” Alex said, “You sure you don’t wanna play?”

Haley snapped a picture of the men with her camera. “Nope.”

Alex turned to The Farmer. “I guess we’ll have to find someone else to play with then. Uh, sorry this is turning out to be a chore.”

“Um,” Sebastian raised his hand higher. “I said I’ll-”

“Oh hey!” Alex’s hand shot up and he waved down Elliot and Leah, who both had just stepped out of his shack. “Hey guys, come here for a sec!”

Sebastian lowered his hand, sighing and casting a melodramatic glance out towards the ocean.

“What do you want?” Leah asked when they approached.

“We’re playing a game of gridball but we’re short a person. Either of you wanna play?”

Leah perked up, “Sure. I’d love to.”

Elliot gave her a less than enthusiastic look. “But I thought we were taking a break.”

Leah sighed heavily, but then placed both hands on Elliot’s shoulders. She looked him directly in the eye. “Elliot, I’ve been proof-reading your manuscript for the last three hours. I mean no offense when I say this, but something where I can be a little violent will be better for me than a walk.”

“You can sit with me Elliot,” Haley waved him over. “I’ve got drinks and food.”

Eliott resigned himself to his fate, taking a seat on the beach blanket and shedding his heavy jacket.

“Farm boy and I are captains then!” Alex then declared. “How you wanna decide teams?”

“I think I get first pick since you’re forcing me into a position of power.” The Farmer said.

Immediately, Vincent’s hand shot up. The kid waved it back and forth, silently thinking the words ‘Pick me!’ over and over in The Farmer’s direction. Alex’s cocky smile dawned on his face. “Okay, I’m good with that.”

The Farmer smiled back. “Okay, Vincent, you’re my first pick.”

“Yes!” Vicent did a small dance, then turned to Sebastian. “I promise we won’t hurt you too much,” he said before running over to The Farmer.

Sebastian turned his horrified look on everyone else. Asking without words if anyone else had heard what the seven year-old child had just said. His only response was Sam giving a half-hearted smile and shrug.

“I pick Sam,” Alex said.

“Then I want Leah.”

Alex shot The Farmer a quizzical look. The Farmer didn’t say anything to Alex. He merely high-fived Leah and said, “Don’t you think you’ll be hot in that?”

Leah shrugged. “I guess. Hold on, I’ve got an undershirt on too.” She slid her suspenders off and began to unbutton her green shirt. As she shed, every pair of eyes were on her. Even Haley had to lower her sunglasses to watch. Leah tossed her shirt towards Elliot, the muscles in her back outlined finely in her gray tank top. Her biceps were massive and everyone looked between her and Alex.

Alex felt the need to suddenly cover himself up in shame.

The Farmer asked, “How’s the woodworking going Leah?”

Leah rolled her shoulders as she responded. “Oh pretty well. I just cut down a pine tree a yesterday and hauled it into my cabin. Not sure what I’m gonna turn it into yet.”

“We’re fucking screwed,” Sebastian muttered as he trudged over to Alex and Sam.

The game was pretty much one-sided. Despite the fact that they had agreed to play two-hand touch, Leah had decided to keep tackling whoever had the ball. ‘I’m still touching them with both my hands when I tackle them,’ she’d said. No one bothered penalizing her for it because after a successful tackle she’d leap up screaming something about the importance of the Oxford comma. They'd all decided it was probably better to suffer the couple of bruises and let her blow off the steam.

Vincent also turned out to be quite the star player. Specifically whenever Sam was involved in blocking him. The boy had mastered manipulation at a very young age and would break out into crocodile tears whenever his older brother was getting too close. The rest of the time, Sam would talk to Vincent in a baby voice and cheer as his brother crossed the touchdown line. He’d managed to secure more than half of The Farmer’s points.

“You fight dirty,” Alex grumbled one time when blocking The Farmer.

“You need to use your head when picking your team,” The Farmer retorted.

The game lasted about thirty minutes, and then The Farmer’s team was only a point away from winning. He huddled together with Vincent and Leah. Leah had taken over strategizing a few minutes into the game. The Farmer was glad for that, because she it allowed her to channeling her blood-thirst towards the other team.

“Let me throw the ball! My brother would never let Alex or Sebastian sack me if I was the quarterback,” Vincent said in an excited whisper. Leah was not a good influence on him.

“I can handle Sebastian just fine,” Leah said, “Farmer, think you can outrun Alex?”

The Farmer nodded, “No problem.

“Alright, break!”

The Farmer stood with Leah in front of Vincent, the ball in his hands. They faced off against Alex and Sam, Sebastian playing farther back. “Ready to lose, Alex?” The Farmer taunted.

“You may have a lead on us-”

“Alex the score’s 39 to 13,” Leah interjected.

Alex’s face twinged red, but he ignored her. “But we won’t ever give up, no matter how tired we get.”

“That’s okay,” The Farmer smirked. “You can take a break once we beat you.”

Before Alex could continue the trash talk, The Farmer hiked Vincent the ball. Both he and Leah charged around Alex and Sam. Sam was not taking the game very serious and knelt before his brother, taunting him in a voice usually reserved for when someone talks to a pet. Alex stood slightly behind Sam, ready to try and intercept should Vincent attempt to throw. Leah ran at Sebastian, full on screaming. Sebastian screamed back, frozen to the spot, and they both went down in the next second as Leah tackled him.

Distracted by the tackle, Alex turned his attention away. That’s when Vincent threw the ball. It sailed over Alex’s head towards The Farmer. Alex’s head snapped up to the ball. His body moved on instinct, charging after it. He was only a few feet from The Farmer when he leapt into the air, and the ball brushed against his fingertips.

Alex realized his mistake too late, his momentum having already brought his elbow inches from The Farmer’s face. In the next second, their bodies collided, and both men tumbled into the sand.

“Ugh,” Alex pushed himself up. “That hurt.”

The Farmer was pinned under him, who also groaned in pain. “Why do I always get hurt when we hang out?”

Alex gave a single laugh as he pushed himself up off The Farmer's body. “Sorry about that.” He paused mid-way in pulling himself up. He then reached out with his free hand, brushing his fingers over The Farmer’s cheek where his elbow had collided with. “Does it hurt much?”

The Farmer’s body stiffened at the touch. His cheek felt hot against Alex’s hand, already turning red from the pre-swelling. For a moment, neither of them moved. In those few seconds, Alex noticed something peeking out from under The Farmer’s bangs. Skin, paler and raised, hidden further beneath his hair. He was overcome with the urge to brush the bangs aside.

“You guys okay?” Sam called. He ran over with the other three.

Sam's voice made Alex jump. He pulled himself fully off of The Farmer, offering a hand to pull the other man up. “We’re fine,” Alex called back. He cast a look back at The Farmer, feeling slightly embarrassed. The Farmer was also looking away, which only made him feel worse. Why did he make a mistake like that? He could have hurt The Farmer far worse.

“Hey, he’s holding the ball,” Leah exclaimed. Alex looked down to the Farmer’s hands, where the gridball was clutched against his stomach. He must have caught it before they had collided. “That means we won!”

“No, Alex got him!” Sam protested. “We’re still playing.”

“Cowsh-” Leah caught herself, a sheepish glance cast in Vincent’s direction.  “I mean, no way. Haley’s blanket is the endzone. He caught while in it and we won.”

“Alex had his hands on The Farmer before they touched the ground.” Sam protested. “That counts as a tackle.”

“You could just ask me,” Haley said in a bored tone and clicking through her camera. “I was taking pictures.”

Leah and Sam both turned to her and said in unison, “Well did you get a shot then?”

Haley turned her camera around to face them, and clicked through the pictures. It clearly showed The Farmer catching the ball and landing on the sand before his collision with Alex. Leah smiled over at Sam. “We had such a led on you guys anyways. You should just accept defeat gracefully.”

Sam dug his foot further into the sand. “Vincent was just having so much fun that I wanted to let him keep playing.”

* * *

The group somewhat disbursed after the game. Vincent dragged his brother down to the water’s edge, wanting to swim. Leah went home to change, promising she’d come back after getting a swimsuit. Elliot and Haley started to much away at the contents of the picnic basket and gossiping. Sebastian lay still in the sand where Leah had tackled him long after the game had finished. Only Haley had approached him, and that was to apply sunscreen to his back after it had started to turn pink.

Alex forced himself to get over his previous embarrassment. The Farmer was okay now, and Alex wanted the other man to enjoy himself. They had swimming races with Vincent, played chicken with Sam and Leah, and even had a sandcastle-building contest (Leah won, to the surprise of no one).  

Eventually the sun started to go down and one-by-one, the group started to return home. Alex eventually found himself sitting alone on the edge of one of the docks. There was still a long time until the sun went down, and he didn’t want to go home yet. He had a smile pile of rocks next to him, which he would occasionally toss out to skip across the water.

His thoughts drifted, but were mostly about The Farmer. He’d enjoyed today, a lot, but did The Farmer feel the same way? Was he secretly mad about being hurt by Alex again? Why did he always end up hurting The Farmer?

Why was he so sad now that today was over?

As he wound up to toss one of those rocks, he heard a shutter click behind him. He lowered his arm and turned around, finding Haley behind him, having changed back to her regular outfit. Her camera hung from its strap around her neck. “What are you doing back here?” he asked.

Haley walked over and sat down next to him, draping her legs over the edge of the dock. “Thought I’d keep you company. I know how you like to stay out on the beach for too long and brood.”

Alex frowned at her, “I’m not brooding.”

“Please, Alex you’re way too transparent.” Haley was clicking through her camera now, looking at the photos she’d taken.  “You made a new friend, spent all day playing with him, and now you’re sad that he’s gone.”

Alex didn’t respond to that, merely throwing a stone out over the water. This one didn’t skip.

Haley stopped on a picture, the one of Alex rubbing sunscreen on The Farmer’s back. “You know,” she said looking down at it, “he is rather cute.”

“The Farmer?”

“Hmm,” Haley nodded, resuming to click through her photos. “He’s got this air about him too. Kinda mysterious and brooding loner, but in a way that says he has a soft spot for people he cares about. Don’t you think?”

“I think you’re not his type,” Alex said in a flat voice.

“Oh? You sound jealous. Afraid I’ll steal away your new friend with my body?”

Alex scoffed. “No way. And I’m not jealous.”

“Really?” Alex looked over, curious at her tone. Haley had stopped on another photo. It was a photo from after they’d had their gridball incident. Alex held his body only a few inches away from The Farmers, both men staring at each other with Alex’s hand on The Farmer’s face. “You seem pretty protective of him~”

Alex frowned at her before turning away, embarrassment coming to his face.

Haley laughed and ruffled his hair. “Oh Alex, you’re too easy to tease.” She pulled her hand back. “But you know, I’m glad you’re his friend now.”

“Why?”

“Well, when was the last time you spent time with someone aside from me? We’re only friends because we went to high school together. Ever since you started hanging out with The Farmer, you’ve also been reaching out to other people. Like Sam and Sebastian today. I didn’t even know that you knew what Sebastian’s name was, considering what a shut-in that boy is.”

Alex felt like he was being lectured, his face turning red the longer Haley talked. “Oh buzz off.”

Haley tutted her tongue. “Now Alex, you’ll never make or be able to keep any friends if you let your embarrassment talk for you like that.”

“Then why haven’t you run away yet?”

“Cus I know you’re all bark and no bite. Maybe spending more time with The Farmer will have some of his good nature rub off on you and you'll start gifting everyone in town stuff. Did you know? He grows some of the most beautiful and vibrant flowers I’ve ever seen. I asked him for one once and he put it in my hair just behind my ear. If I was a weaker woman he’d have swept me off my feet right then and there.”

There was a twinge of something painful in Alex’s chest. “Yeah well The Farmer gives everyone gifts,” he spit out. “You’re not a special case.”

Haley huffed and got to her feet. Alex couldn't look over as she did. He didn’t hear her leave, but he did feel a foot press itself to his back. Suddenly and violently, he was shoved off the edge of the dock and plunged under the water. 

When he pulled himself above the water’s surface, he was gasping for air. Haley stood on the dock, arms crossed and wearing a frown. He shouted up at her, “What the hell Haley?”

Haley huffed and looked at her nails instead of him when she spoke. “Oh, you know. They say that when you’re trying to break a dog of a bad habit that you squirt him with a water bottle, right? Since I don’t have one of those I figured shoving him into the ocean was the next best thing.” She turned and started walking away. “Try and cool off before the festival tomorrow,” she called back. “Or else you’ll scare away your new friend with that vicious bark.”

Alex glared after her before he dove under the water and began swimming towards shore. But what she’d said brought new thoughts to his mind. Thoughts of being able to sit on the dock in a comfortable silence with The Farmer at his side. Both of them watching the glowing Jellyfish dance about the ocean waters.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I missed my before Xmas mark by a few days, but in my defense I was sick. And isn't it funny how I named chapter 7, "Summer's End" when in reality chapters 8 and 9 take place on the last two days of summer? Also, I'm under the honest-to-god impression that ya'll are here for the misadventures of the Junimos than the slow burn. But I don't blame you, I would be too. Also, I if you don't read my other stardew valley fic, that's where I stole the formatting from to indicate Alex and The Farmer were texting at the beginning of this chapter. 
> 
> Remember, if I'm taking too long to write the next chapter, follow my tumblr and yell at me. Or just search my blog for anything tagged Sleepless Nights. I usually post/complain about my progress on there.


	9. Confession

Year: 1

Season: Summer

Date: 28th

_“You’ll scare away your new friend with that vicious bark.”_

Alex spent most of the day thinking about Haley’s words. They’d repeated over and over in his head last night as he fell asleep. Yes, he had been rude yesterday when Haley had been teasing him, but he just wasn’t sure why. He still wasn’t even sure why his actions warranted him getting shoved off the dock. It’s just that, when Haley spoke of The Farmer, he could clearly see it. The Farmer’s hand brushing back her hair and pinning the flower behind her ear. And when Alex imagined that soft smile directed at Haley, he’d felt a tightness in his chest that made him lash out with his words.

The sun was near the horizon, and there was less than an hour of daylight left. Alex had been wandering town, kicked out of the house by his grandfather who couldn’t stand Alex’s pacing anymore. To be fair, Alex had walked in front of the television during an important part of _Feuding Family._ He’d made a trek up to the mountain and stopped for a while at the spot he and The Farmer had gone fishing back for the Luau. He thought maybe sitting there would help him sort his thoughts, but after five minutes he couldn’t stand sitting still any longer. He’d walked back into town, but knowing George would probably just yell at him again for pacing the house, he skirted the edge of town until his aimless wandering had brought him to the edge of the farm.

He was unsure of why he was even here. He didn’t really want to talk to The Farmer right now. He’d probably sound like an idiot. _“Hey bro. I was wondering, does it hurt you when you think of me? Cus it hurts when I think of you.”_

Okay, he’d definitely sound like an idiot.

He knew he was going to see The Farmer soon, so he really hoped he could think of something better to say before then. The downside to living in such a small town was that you couldn’t skip out on a festival. Skipping out was considered too bizarre by the other townsfolk. You’d be questioned no less than twenty times as to why you were absent. Maybe he should come up with some excuse as to why he was at the farm. Maybe he could bite the bullet and force himself past his own awkwardness by throwing himself into a conversation with the other man.

“Hey bro,” Alex said, finger gunning at the empty air. He got a response from the nearby trees, whose leaves rustled in the wind. Alex coughed to clear his throat, trying to ignore the irresistible urge to drown himself into the nearby river. He threw on his best smile and tried again. “Hey farm boy! Did you know about the festival tonight?” His smile dropped and he started to mutter.  “Of course he knows. Everyone does.  I even mentioned it yesterday. Maybe I could say I wanted to show him how to get to the beach? No, that’s dumb, we were at the beach yesterday…”

The front door of the cottage banged open. Alex dove immediately into the nearby bushes. His heart beat so strongly against his ribcage he felt as if it were popping out of his chest like a cartoon. The door closed and then Alex heart the sound of The Farmer’s footsteps approaching his hiding spot. With every step, his heart beat faster. Alex was convinced everyone in town could hear it at this point.

The Farmer continued past Alex’s hiding spot, completely oblivious to the man hiding in the shrubbery. A minute passed, but Alex remained where he was. _Yoba, what am I even doing_ , he thought to himself. What was the protocol on this? How long does someone remain in the bushes outside of their friends house out before it seems weird?

Given the time, The Farmer was probably headed towards the beach. But what if he came back and found Alex walking away from the farm? What sort of questions would it raise? The sort of questions that Alex did not want to waste time thinking of excuses to answer with.

He sighed and settled himself more comfortably in the bushes. Muttering to himself, he said, “Maybe I’ll just wait till sundown…”

* * *

 

The Wizard was knelt before a rather large hole that had ‘mysteriously’ opened up in one of the walls of the community center. He touched the edge of it gingerly with his fingers, then moved his fingers to his tongue. He produced a small magnifying glass from his robe and levitated it before one of his eyes as he examined broken piece of the wall. He’d occasionally make grunts, noises of understanding, and say the words ‘I see.’

A horde of Junimos were gathered around the room watching him. White and Blue were standing on either side of him. After The Wizard swallowed a piece of drywall – commenting that the texture remined him of pudding – White stepped forward and asked, “Well what is it?”

The Wizard rose, brushing his hands on his robes and snapped the magnifying glass out of existence. “It’s just as I thought. There’s nothing I can do for the building.”

The Junimos’ disappointment was obvious. Aside from a chorus of groans a few started booing him. The Wizard even had to sidestep a rotten tomato that one of them had thrown. He looked at the new red-splatter on the wall with a frown. “Please tell me you’re not having The Farmer gather crops so you can just throw them at villagers when you’re upset.”

“No, no, no!” White held its hands up before itself in an ‘X’ formation. “I assure you, we need these items to help with restoring our connection to the land.”

The Wizard eyes the other spirits warily. “If you say so. But if I have to dodge more rancid fruit, I’m not giving you the potion for Morris.”

“Aren’t tomatoes vegetables?” Blue asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” White said very quickly. “Speaking of the potion, Mr. Wizard, how much longer until it’s ready?”

“I told you, a couple of days. It takes at least a week to steep properly or else the potion will turn him into a frog.”

“That wouldn’t exactly be a problem,” White muttered. The Wizard cast a disapproving glance at the spirit. White quickly changed the subject. “So, you’re sure there’s nothing you can do for our home? Can’t you just snap your fingers and fix this place up?”

“Yeah, didn’t you say you specialized in plot convenience?” Blue protested.

“I do,” The Wizard said. He rasped on the wall with his knuckles just above the hole. “But I’m afraid this building is infused with the one thing my magic doesn’t work on. It’s a plot point.”

“What does that mean?” White asked.

“It means that even if I did fix it up, the universe would send something worse than Morris to destroy it. A hurricane might come again and take it out. We could have a fire that would ravage the town and burn it down. Or, I don’t know, a freak outbreak of zombies might wipe out civilization and then this building would be left exposed to the elements for another couple of decades until it looks exactly like this again.”

The Junimos began muttering to themselves. “That last one sounds like a stretch,” the Wizard heard Blue whisper to White.

The Wizard sighed. “Look, my point is, this building will continue to fall into ruin until the person who’s meant to fix it comes along and fixes it. Until then, it’s best to just leave everything as is.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Wizard and spirits turned to the new voice. The Farmer stood in the doorway, gently lowering his backpack to the floor.

White rushed forward to greet him. “Nothing! Nothing at all. We’re merely discussing...um…”

“Politics!” Blue offered, leaping up on The Farmer’s shoulder.

“Politics.” The Farmer echoed. He cast a doubtful eye over the spirits that were gathering around him. The Junimos were all nodding and muttering in agreement. He was sure they were just muttering random jargon to sound professional. Mostly because he heard words and phrases like, ‘Cabinet Member,’ ‘Republicans,’ and ‘The royal line of succession.’

To himself The Wizard muttered. “It takes years to learn the Junimo language, even longer to speak it. Oh, but don’t worry, I have this niffy potion that was whipped up just for you! Now you can make small talk with these things I’ve spent my entire life studying. Yoba he’s an ass.”

“What brings you by, Farmer?” White asked.

“I’m just dropping by some of my best melons,” The Farmer pulled one of the pink fruits from his backpack. “I was afraid that with the storm and my injury I wasn’t going to get anything high quality before the summer ended. But Alex did a great job with mixing the fertilizer. I didn’t even have to tell him how much to spread out.”

The Junimos rushed his backpack. The floor around him became a moving carpet of colors. The five melons were carried further into the building, accompanied by cheers. A few Junimos remained with The Wizard and The Farmer, White, Yellow, and Blue among them.

“These are wonderful!” White exclaimed. “We are always grateful for your contributions. It’s also wonderful to see you work so well with one of your candidates.”

The Farmer’s eyebrows creased together. “My what?”

The Wizard snapped his fingers. The Farmer’s head fell forward as he began to snore. “Try again,” The Wizard sounded exasperated. “But this time, leave out the fact that you’re playing matchmaker.” The Wizard snapped his fingers again, and The Farmer’s head shot up.

“I didn’t even have to tell him how much to spread out,” The Farmer repeated. Blissfully unaware that he’d just been put to sleep.  

“Ah, thank, thank you as always!” White stumbled over its words. It gestured at Yellow, who ran into another room. “In fact, we actually have another list for you to work on now.”

Yellow reappeared a moment later, somersaulting down from the rafters with paper in hand. When Yellow landed, it presented the list to The Farmer like it was some sort of medal. The Farmer took it, an eyebrow going up as he read it over.

“You guys know that some of these things only grow in spring, right? It’d certainly help me plan ahead if you just gave me all the lists in the first place.” The Farmer pocketed the paper regardless. Then he scratched Blue’s head, who was still perched on his shoulder. “What are you guys using them for anyways?”

“They won’t tell me.” The Wizard spoke up. The Farmer looked over at him. He looked upset as usual, arms crossed over his chest and wearing a frown. But this time, the man had several of the small spirits playing on his hat and robes. It really took away from the anger in his expression. “But if I had to venture a guess...They’re nature spirits, and you’re making sacrifices to them. They must use it for energy and – What?”

The Farmer had done his best to not laugh, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “It’s nothing.” The Wizard’s frown grew, so The Farmer added, “Well, it’s just that you guys seem closer than before,” he said, referencing the spirits.

One of the Junimo used the rim of The Wizard’s hat as a springboard to launch itself up into the rafters, quickly followed by its friends. “They’re doing this to terrorize me.”

“I don’t know. It just looks like they don’t see you as a threat anymore.”

Blue made a sound similar to the snort of a pig. “If anything, he was more of an annoyance than a threat.”

One of The Wizard’s eyebrows twitched. “Don’t forget who’s helping you with your pest problem, spirit.”

“What pest problem?” The Farmer asked.

The Wizard raised his right hand. “Oh, you’ll see.” He snapped his fingers, and then he and every Junimo disappeared.

Before The Farmer fully register what had just happened, he heard a voice come from behind him. “My dear Farmer. What a pleasant surprise!”

The Farmer’s face naturally became a scowl as he turned to face Morris. Morris stood in the open door of the community center with his hands behind his back. The Farmer had been fortunate that the bottom-feeding gremlin had left him alone pretty much all summer. He’d half-hopped that Morris had simply given up on the solicitation of a Joja Membership.

“Morris,” The Farmer said. “To what do I owe the displeasure?”

“Oh, I’m merely taking a little stroll during my lunch break.” The most surprising part of this was that Morris took his breaks. He’d always struck The Farmer as an employee so dedicated to his work that he’d skip on breaks just so he could dedicate more of his time to the glorious company he served. Morris didn't drop his customer service voice as he spoke, “But what about you, my dear Farmer? I had heard you were injured in the storm a few weeks ago. There was even a rumor that you’d died in a landslide.”

“I got better.”

“Disappointing,” Morris chimed. “But in any case, I’m sure you have medical bills to pay now. Joja Mart membership holders do get steep and daily discounts. Are you sure that I can’t interest you in joining? I’ll even wave the membership fee.”

“I’d sooner sell my farm, Morris.” Out of the corner of The Farmer’s eye, he noticed a few Junimos had returned. They sat in a hole in the wall near something red that had splattered against the wall. They pointed at Morris, shaking their tiny fists. In the rafters above the small man was Orange. This spirit was holding a brick – poised to throw it – and was restrained from pelting Morris with it by Yellow and Red.

As much as The Farmer wanted to see Orange succeed, it was probably better if the Joja Gremlin didn’t discover the existence of the Junimos. He’d most likely work to get the spirits listed an infestation so he’d have an excuse to tear down the building. “What are you doing here Morris? There are plenty of nicer places you could go to spend your break. Unless of course, this place reminds you of whatever rock you were spawned under?”

Morris stepped into the building, walking towards the hole the Junimos had been pointing from. They’d disappeared into the woodwork before Morris reached it. He ran his hand along the jagged edge. “This is a very old building, my dear Farmer. You should be careful if you plan to spend your time here.” Morris deliberately tore a piece of the sheetrock from the wall. He dropped it, dusting the powder from his hands. The Farmer’s expression darkened, but the small man didn’t look at him. “You never know when there might be an accident.”

As Morris turned to leave, The Farmer noticed the head of a hammer sticking out from the back pocket of Morris’ black trousers. When Morris closed the door behind him, the Junimos slowly came out of hiding and approached The Farmer.

White waddled up to him, its unchanging expression radiated sadness. The Farmer said, “How long has this been going on for?”

“About a month.” White admitted.

The Wizard reappeared, snapping into existence to The Farmer’s right. “The Junimos commissioned me to create a potion to drive Morris away,” he explained. “It won’t be ready for a few days though. Plus, I’m not even sure how long it will work. A few months at most.”

“I see.” The Farmer chewed the inside of his cheek, eyes cast down to the floor in thought. After a moment of deliberation, The Farmer picked up and shouldered his backpack. He crossed the room, pausing when he placed his hand on the doorknob. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said and then left the community center. Just as he was about to close the door, Red rushed though the opening.

“Wait, Farmer, can I ask you a question?”

“Uh,” The Farmer looked around. Seeing nobody, he knelt down. “Sure. What is it?”

Red twisted its hands together bashfully. “I’d like to come to the festival with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I’ve never been to a human festival before.”

The Farmer thought it over. “I mean, sure I don’t mind. But there’s plenty of other festivals that would be more exciting than this one. We’re just gathering to watch jellyfish.”

Red had already climbed up to The Farmer’s shoulder, bouncing slightly. “I’m so excited!”

The Farmer rose with a sigh, but a small smile on his face. “Okay, but just make sure you’re not seen.”

“Roger, roger!”

* * *

 

Alex was the last one to arrive at the beach that night. Tables were set up with paper and candles for crafting lanterns and boats. Most villagers were already holding a completed paper construct by now. Lewis’ specially carved wooden boat he’d commissioned from Robin was floating in the water, tethered to the dock and waiting to be sent out.

He slapped the back of his neck where he felt some bug bite him. He spotted Haley close to the edge of the water, who was with The Farmer and Vincent. The small child looked like he’d trapped The Farmer in some sort of conversation, to which The Farmer made all the appropriate nods and noises of interest.

“...and there’s this special green jelly that you can see sometimes.” Vincent was saying as Alex approached. “I didn’t see it last year, but my mom said she saw it.”

“Maybe you’ll get lucky this year.” The Farmer said, patting Vincent’s head. He noticed Alex then, his smile getting bigger. Alex’s chest suddenly felt light.

“It was over here!” Vincent grabbed The Farmer’s hand, tugging at the man while pointing to the other end of the beach. “Let me show you.”

The Farmer gave Alex a look that said, ‘What can you do?’ before allowing himself to be pulled off.

Alex watched them go, and Haley stepped closer to him looping her arm through Alex’s. “Aw, don’t look so sad. I’m sure he’ll come back eventually.”

“I know that.”

Haley patted Alex’s arm lightly with her free hand. “Come on big boy. Let’s go make your lantern while you still have time.” She pulled him towards a table, pulling off a leaf stuck to the back of his jacket at the same time. “Why were you so late anyways? You’re usually one of the first ones here.”

“I was busy thinking.”

“About?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Alex felt Haley’s eyes on him, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she regaled him with talk of an article she’d recently read. Alex only half-listened, focusing on the construction of his lantern. He felt bad for not fully listening to Haley, but was still glad she was there with him.

As he put the final crease into his lantern, The Farmer surprised him. “Wow, that looks amazing Alex.” Alex had been so distracted that he didn’t even realize the other man had approached. He stood next to Haley on the other side of the table.

“Alex’s loved this festival ever since he moved here,” Haley said.

“Really, how come?”

Alex felt like he’d been suddenly put on the spot, and he wasn’t ready for the full attention of either of them. He looked down at the lantern. “Well, summer’s my favorite season and this always felt like a goodbye party for summer, you know?” The Farmer chuckled which caused Alex’s face to heat up. “What’s so funny?”  

“It’s nothing,” The Farmer said with a smile. “I just think that that sort of rational is exactly like you.”

Haley smiled at Alex. “It is, isn’t it?”

Before Alex could say anything, Robin’s voice called from the docks. “Alright folks! It’s time to send out our lanterns. Everyone to the docks!” Robin appeared to have taken control of the festival, standing next to the wooden boat and ready to light the candle. Meanwhile, Lewis looked crestfallen and had pulled himself into a ball at the edge of the lake. He was drawing in the sand with his finger while Linus sat next to him, softly patting his back.

The three rose, but another voice called out to The Farmer as they did. Vincent ran back over, the excitement practically radiating from him. “Let’s go Farmer! I know we’ll see the green jelly this year.”

“Oh Vincent!” Haley exclaimed dramatically, pointing back towards the other end of the beach. “What’s that glow?”

Vincent spun, pumping both fists into the air. “THE GREEN JELLY!”

As Vincent charged off, Haley turned to her friends. “I’m going to go and make sure he doesn’t jump off the docks. Have fun!”

Alex’s mouth pulled itself into a tight smile. He pleaded with wide eyes, begging for Haley to not go away. He still hadn’t sorted out his own thoughts yet, and he did not want to be in a one on one situation with The Farmer. Haley didn’t get the message – or she ignored it.

The Farmer was already several feet away, and Alex had to jog to catch up. He fell into step next to the other man, casting occasional glances over at him. When The Farmer caught one of these, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing!” Alex said quickly. “I, ah, I was just wondering if you’ve ever seen jellyfish before?”

The Farmer shook his head. “Only in pictures.”

“Well, these ones glow like fireflies. My grandma said the first time I saw them they stunned me into silence.”

The Farmer laughed, light and happy. The sound of it made Alex’s stomach flutter. “Well if it has your seal of approval, then I know it’ll be great.” He sat down on the edge of the dock, dangling his legs over the water. A cool breeze swept in from the water and The Farmer hugged himself, suppressing a shiver.

Alex had his jacket off before his brain even registered the action. When he set it around The Farmer’s shoulders, he found the other man’s surprised eyes gazing up at him. “You looked, um, cold?”

“Oh,” The Farmer looked down at the water, his mind having trouble processing the action. He tentatively touched the fabric of the jacket, like it might rip if pulled on too hard. “But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine.” Alex lied, sitting down next to him. Truthfully, he was never good with the cold. Why did he do it? He wasn’t entirely sure yet. But what he did know was that guilt would nag at the back of his brain. Knowledge that he enjoyed the festival knowing The Farmer sat shivering next to him the entire time.

A small smile tugged at The Farmer’s lips. He left the jacket sitting on his shoulders, but pulled it slightly tighter around him. “Well, then thank you, Alex.”

Alex swallowed hard, forcing himself to focus on the task of sailing his paper lantern. They sat in silence, watching the boat and paper construct’s sail away. The sea was calm tonight, looking almost like glass. Eventually, the lights of the candles disappeared off in the distance.

It was a moonless night, but Alex’s hands gripped the edge of the dock so tightly he feared his knuckles were white enough to reflect the starlight. He and The Farmer were somewhat isolated, the nearest person a good fifteen feet away. Sitting here without the candlelight felt like they were suspended in open space. The stars twinkling above decorated the black ocean water below.

Then there was a glow in the far-off waters, gradually growing brighter. It slowly came towards them, and when the shape of the first jellyfish became distinct, The Farmer inhaled suddenly. Alex looked over, finding The Farmer’s mouth open and his eyes wide. They danced with the light of the jellyfish, growing brighter until the sea life eventually swam all around the docks. The jellyfish were always breathtaking. Alex always thought that their tendrils resembled the elegant dresses from Haley’s magazines. If the dresses had been submerged in water that is.

But Alex didn’t look down at the water. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from The Farmer’s fascinated expression.  There was a pressure forming in his chest, but it wasn’t a bad sort of pressure. It was one that made him aware of his own heartbeat, one that made him feel light enough to walk out on the top of the star-covered water. They weren’t sitting that far apart, but he could feel the empty space between them like it was a cold object. The object had him overcome with the desire to shove it into the ocean.

“They’re incredible,” The Farmer said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“They are,” Alex murmured.

The Farmer looked over at him, and Alex suddenly yearned to close the distance between them. The look in The Farmer’s eyes changed. No longer fascinated. Instead, they were unsure, vulnerable, and they were, his eyes were…

Hopeful.  

Alex underwent full-mental shutdown. He was no longer sitting on the dock. There was no ocean, no stars, no jellyfish. There was only him and there was only The Farmer. He wasn’t even sure he remembered to breath or if his heart was beating. He only knew that his body leaned forward, pulled like a magnet.

Then the water ruptured near him. Haley’s voice cut through, shrill and fearful.

“Vincent!”

The world spun as it filled itself back in around Alex. Vincent's body thrashed in the water, the boy’s cries becoming choked when he inhaled the seawater. Alex was vaguely aware of a green glow disappearing back into the sea. He couldn’t react properly to anything yet, suffering a mental whiplash by being pulled out of whatever had just happened. What he did register was that his jacket was tossed onto the dock next to him, and The Farmer’s body dove into the water.

Haley and Jodi rushed to either side of him, both women’s anxiety washing over Alex. Despite this, they had arguably better reactions to the situation. Jodi knelt at the edge of the dock, ready to pull her son and The Farmer out of the water.

“A buoy!” Haley shook Alex, “We have to find a buoy or Vincent’s panic might drown both of them!” Alex was pulled to his feet, scanning the darkness of the docks and trying to not let panic set in.

“My house!” Willy’s voice yelled from the beach. “There’s one on the door!”

Alex saw the white ring immediately, and pulled it off the hook holding it to the door. He spun back towards the water. It was difficult to discern the dark figures of The Farmer and Vincent, but he was able to spot the boys bright hair whenever he surfaced. Vincent’s thrashing had pulled him farther out to sea, and The Farmer was struggling to keep the boy’s head above water. His gridball instincts kicked in, and Alex chucked the buoy out like a frisbee. It arced over the water, landing directly in front of the two.

The Farmer pulled the ring to Vincent and the boy’s flailing limbs latched on immediately. Being able to keep above the water now calmed him, letting The Farmer pull Vincent back towards the docks. Now that Vincent could keep afloat, his painful sobs washed over those still on the beach.

Sam and Harvey joined Jodi by the time they got back to the docks. Alex stood back with Haley, dimly aware of Willy rushing into his home while Robin stood on the beach. She and Gus kept people back while she insisted the dock wouldn’t hold everybody’s weight. Vincent was pulled from the water first, embracing his mother immediately. She held him tightly, rocking her son side-to-side and whispering comforting words.

Willy emerged from his house carrying two stained, but large, towels and a first aid kit. He draped one around The Farmer after the man was pulled up by Sam. Harvey knelt next to Jody, trying to coax Vincent out of her embrace. He held his phone in one hand, casting a light over them.

“I know it hurts,” Harvey said in a calm voice, “but I’ll need to see it to make it better.”

It took a minute, but Vincent was eventually able to pull himself away. His whole body trembled violently with pain as he held out his left arm. Irritated red welts from a jellyfish sting crisscrossed his forearm like it’d been whipped with wet spaghetti. As Harvey set about applying first aid, Willy handed the second towel to Jodi with instructions to both her and Vincent to avoid touching the fabric against the stung skin.

The Farmer walked over to Alex and Haley with his own towel pulled tightly around him. His waterlogged clothing dripped onto the dock and his body shivered from the ocean water.  

“Oh, you poor thing, you must be freezing!” Haley wrapped her arms around The Farmer in a hug, perfectly fine with getting her own clothes wet. He visibly leaned into the hug, attempting to siphon as much body heat as he could. Alex wanted to throw himself at The Farmer as well, seeing the way the man shivered so badly.

The Farmer’s wet hair was plastered to his face in an unusual direction. His bangs had been swept aside, revealing a pale _U_ -shaped scar on his forehead. Alex reached out instinctively for it, but halted himself. He still wasn’t sure what happened before Vincent had fallen into the water, but he didn’t trust his own body right now.

He coughed and was able to pass off the motion as an awkward gesture. “What happened to your forehead? Did you get stung?”

The Farmer’s hand shot up to cover it, brushing his hair back in an attempt to cover it up again. His teeth chattered together when he responded. “N-No. This is a-a old scar. I, I wasn’t s-stung. Sorry, but I t-think I should go h-home and change.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Harvey said as he stood with a frown. “You could just as easily go into shock. You’re coming to the clinic with Vincent. You can change into a hospital gown.”

Jodi also stood, scooping Vincent into her arms and cradling him carefully. “Sam’s running home to get Vincent a change of clothes. He can grab you some of his clothes to borrow.”

“Wait, Sam’s way shorter and smaller than The Farmer, nothing would fit him.” Haley said. Sam made a noise like he’d been offended, but Haley continued. “I’ll grab some of my dad’s old stuff. That’ll fit more comfortably.”

She and Sam charged off, followed briskly by Harvey and his entourage of patients. Alex was left alone on the dock with Willy. His insides felt like that had been violently pulled into multiple knots during the last ten minutes. Now that the adrenaline and excitement was wearing off, he felt himself deflating. He’d barely had enough time to register his own panic for Vincent and The Farmer’s safety. Now his body felt like it was trying to process both panic and relief at the same time. It felt like a million balloons were popping in his stomach.

Willy collected Alex’s jacket from the dock and handed it to him. Alex knew the man said something to him and that he responded, but his brain couldn’t comprehend speech right now. As he made his way down the dock and back towards his grandparents, few people said anything to him. They mostly applauded The Farmer’s bravery or their sympathy for Vincent among themselves.

“He’s fortunate that The Farmer reacted as quickly as he did,” Alex heard his grandmother say as he approached.

“He reacted poorly is what,” George grumbled. “He did the last thing you’re supposed to do and dove into the water. What would have happened if you hadn’t gotten the buoy?”

Alex realized his grandfather was waiting for him to respond. His head felt like a mess and he wanted to be alone. “A lot happened,” he said. “We should probably head home though.”

“Hm,” George grunted. “Darn kid probably scared away all the jellyfish anyways.”

“Don’t be sound disappointed. I’m sure we’ll be able to see more next year,” Evelyn said.

“Disappointed? If anything, I’m relieved! It’s always too cold this time of year.”

Evelyn laughed softly. “Whatever you say, dear.”  

Alex silently took position behind his grandfather and started pushing the wheelchair back towards their house. His grandparents continued to chat, but he didn’t listen to them. Right now, he just wanted to be home alone so he could think.

* * *

 

_An Hour Earlier…_

 

“I’m serious,” The Farmer whispered into his backpack. “Make sure you’re not seen. I know magic and monsters exist, but I really don’t want to explain to everyone that I’m making ritualistic sacrifices to spirits living in the community center.”

Red saluted from its hiding spot. “I’ll be careful.”

“Hey farm boy!” Another voice called. The Farmer threw the flap back over his bag, but purposefully didn’t fasten the velcro straps. Red shimmed its way up the side of a notebook and pushed the flap open slightly. The Photographer had approached The Farmer, and the two looked to be happily distracted by their discussion. Their backs were to the backpack and the sun had set, now was as good a time as any.

Red pulled itself out of the backpack and dropped into the sand. Without any hesitation, Red rushed forward, tagging the back of The Photographer’s leg, and diving for the cover of a nearby table. Red waited, the soft sounds of the beach and human chatter almost deafening. But moments passed, and The Photographer gave no sign of having noticed she’d been tagged.

Red gave a sigh of relief before summoning a small paper list. On it were crudely drawn faces of the townspeople, a gift from the Junimos that had scouted the town a few days previously. It found the face of The Photographer, and pressed its hand to it. When it lifted away, a small red check mark had appeared over the face. Red set the list in the sand, placing a rock on top to act as a paperweight.

The Junimo kept to its hiding spot, establishing a physical connected with everyone that approached the table to make their papercraft. Within an hour, Red had nearly everyone crossed off of the list. There were only five people left; The Athlete, The Rancher, The Guild Master, The Mayor, and The Wizard.

When there was no longer anyone standing at the table, Red took a chance to peek out. It spotted The Rancher almost immediately, speaking to The Girl on the far side of the beach. Red judged the distance as safe, and ran out. It took shelter behind seashells as it crossed the beach, eventually reaching a sizeable piece of hollow driftwood near The Rancher. Taking up a new spot inside the driftwood, Red eavesdropped on the conversation.

“It’s really a beautiful ship, Jas,” The Rancher said. “You made this all by yourself?”

“Well, Vincent helped a little,” The Girl admitted, taking the paper back from The Rancher. “But we didn’t have any help from the adults at all.”

The Rancher patted The Girl’s head, who giggled. “That wonderful! Before I know it, you’ll be filling my house with all of your future creations.” The Rancher looked up. From Red’s hiding spot, it saw that The Mayor stood a few steps away. His hands were held on his suspenders and he wore an awkward half-smile. “Now Jas, why don’t you show Ms. Penny your boat?”

“Okay!” The Girl ran off, not paying The Mayor any mind as she did. The Mayor and The Rancher looked at one another, and The Mayor made quite a show of taking a single step forward. Kind of like an exaggerated first step of a bird’s mating dance.

But then someone stepped over the driftwood, coughing to clear his throat. Red looked up at The Guild Master. The old man stood as straight as possible, his face pensive and wary. “Excuse me Marnie,” he said, “But I’d like to have a moment of your time, if you’re not too busy.”

“Oh no, of course not! Go right ahead Marlon.” The Mayor said much louder than necessary. “I was just going to speak to Marnie about official city things. Business and taxes. Official taxes and things.” He coughed into his hand, turning away his face.

The Rancher roller her eyes before smiling at The Guild Master. “What can I help you with Marlon? Did you need some feathers for Gil’s pillows again?”

The Guild Master froze when her eyes fell on him. He swallowed deeply and then exhaled. “I’m actually here on personal business this time. And can I say you look lovely in the moonlight?”

The Mayor’s head snapped in their direction. The Rancher’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open into a small ‘o’ shape.

The Guild Master ignored him. He threw back his cape and extended his hand, his palm outstretched. “Would you like to spend tonight with me, watching the jellyfish?”

“Oh, oh Marlon,” The Rancher said. “I, I had no-”

“No intention of watching!” The Mayor dove in between the two. “After all, we have city business to discuss.” He turned to The Rancher. “Right Marnie?”

The Rancher watched as The Guild Master’s body deflated, his arm dropping back to his side and his face flushing red. She frowned at The Mayor before pushing him aside and walked to The Guild Master’s side. She took his arm and gave him a bright smile. “I would love to Marlon.”

The Mayor’s lower jaw touched the sand in disbelief. “But, but, but,” he fumbled for his words. “But we have-”

“Just business to discuss, right?” The Rancher said with distaste. She frowned at The Mayor. “Lewis, it’s a festival night. If your only business with me is purely business, then surely, we can put it off until tomorrow. You need to learn to let go of your position some time and just enjoy yourself.” She smiled up at The Guild Master. “Now, did you have someplace in mind to watch the Jellyfish?”

The Guild Master beamed. “Y-Yes! I’ll escort you over.” The two walked off – a literal pep in The Guild Master’s step – towards the far and more secluded dock. Red made sure to tag them both as they passed. Red waited for its chance to tag The Mayor, but the man remained frozen. The Junimo only dared step out when a seagull swooped in to steal The Mayor’s hat, and the man didn’t even react.  Red scaled up The Mayor’s leg, waved its hand in front of the man’s eye, then shrugged and tagged his cheek.

“What did you do to Lewis?” Red turned to the voice, finding The Wizard had appeared.

“Perfect!” Red exclaimed. The Junimo leapt to The Wizard’s shoulder, quickly touching his face as well. “Did you finish my enhancement potion?”

“Well, yes, that one just finished.” The Wizard looked back at The Mayor. “But seriously, what happened to Lewis? Was it one of your powers?”

Red shook its head, pointing towards the secluded dock. “Dunno. Those two talked about something and then left.”

The Wizard looked at where Red was pointing, finding two shapes he recognized. “Oh,” He stepped over to The Mayor, patting the other man on the back. “That’s rough buddy.”

The Mayor didn’t acknowledge him.

The Wizard walked away, speaking to the Junimo on his shoulder. “Aren’t you supposed to be attuned to human emotions? How did you not understand what happened?”

“I’m a little busy right now.” Red said. “But can you bring me back home? We need to set up quickly. Oh wait!”

Red suddenly leapt off The Wizard’s shoulder and ran towards the path that lead into town. The Wizard watched as Red climbed the branch of a bush, waiting for the man walking down the path to pass it. Red sprang into the air as The Athlete passed, touching the back of his neck. The man immediately slapped his hand against his neck, probably assuming he’d been bitten by a mosquito.

Red rushed back to The Wizard, looking rather proud of itself. “I almost forgot the last one.”

“Probably the most important one,” The Wizard muttered to himself.

“So, can you bring me back home?”

“I’m not a _ZUber_ driver,” The Wizard berated Red, but he’d already snapped his fingers. The two had appeared in the community center, startling the Junimo that were lounging about. “But it’s not like the author gives me any choice anyways.”

“Bloody hell!” Orange shouted, having toppled off a pile of rubble. “Give us some warning next time.”

The Wizard glared at Orange. “I’m sorry, would you like me to add some special effects next time? How about fireworks? Or maybe some strobe lights?”

Red leapt to the ground. “Don’t antagonize him,” it said. The Wizard was surprised that the Junimo even knew what the word meant. “I made sure to get everyone, so we gotta work fast. White, can you call everyone?”

White leapt to the top of a molding armchair. The spirit hollered, “ARTS AND CRAFTS TIME!”

Junimo began appearing from the woodwork, pouring through the main room and filing down another hallway. Curious, The Wizard followed, finding them gathered in the first room that branched off of the hallway. The door’s hinges had rusted away a long time ago, leaving the door itself lying in the hallway. Brightly colored and peeling paint on the door happily read ‘Crafts Room.’

The Junimo covered every surface of the room, leaving no space for The Wizard. He stood in the doorway instead, observing them. He noted the usual ringleaders - Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, and White - gathered at one side of the room. Red and White directed the others. Some pushed rotting furniture aside, others scaled the wall to pull away the peeling wallpaper and expose the drywall beneath.

“Potion please!”

The Wizard looked down, finding Blue at his feet. Blue held its hands out expectantly. Rolling his eyes, The Wizard reached into his robe and pulled out a triangular glass bottle. Blue leapt into the air and snatched it from his hands without so much as a thank you. The stormy red liquid sloshed back and forth as Blue made its way back across the room.

It wasn’t long before they’d cleared the entire wall. When the last strip of wallpaper had been pulled away, Blue uncorked the potion and poured the liquid over Red’s body. Immediately, the Junimo began to glow with a white light that swirled around its body. A collective ‘Oh’ rose from the other spirits as the light grew brighter. Red began to hum, getting louder as the light got brighter. The light eventually got so bright that The Wizard had to snap a pair of sunglasses into existence for himself.

With a fierce cry – The Wizard swore he heard the sprits cry out ‘Hadouken!’ – Red expelled the gathered light and crashed it against the wall. The wall became cloaked in the light, retaining the same brightness for a few moments before dimming. When the light faded away, the wall shimmered with portraits of the villagers. They were arranged from floor to ceiling with ten heart-shaped outlines following the portrait. Portraits towards the top had more of the hearts filled in while those towards the bottom had less.

The Wizard noticed his own towards the bottom while Alex’s portrait sat at the very top. He asked, “And what is this?”

“A physical manifestation of my powers,” Red explained. “I told you that I can resonate with human love, right? Well, this shows us how everyone feels about The Hero.” As Red spoke, two portraits shifted up on the wall, each of them having added a newly filled heart.

“What just happened?”

“We can find out!” Red leapt up and touched its hand to The Musician’s portrait. The entire wall flickered, changing to an image of the beach.

Sam was pulling The Farmer out of the ocean while his mother embraced his crying brother nearby. The Wizard realized he was watching an event unfold in real-time. _Well this definitely has the potential to be abused,_ he thought to himself.

“You’re using this to spy on him?” The Wizard said outwardly.

“Spying is such a dirty word,” Yellow said. “We prefer the term ‘friendly supervision.’”

Red touched the wall again, changing the image back to the portraits. “With this the other Junimo can help The Hero foster relationships with the other villagers, not just me.”

“We’ve been scouting out everyone’s like and dislikes too!” Yellow said happily. “People will like surely like The Hero better if he gives them gifts they love.”

“But we should make sure it’s only two gifts a week,” Orange added. “Anything more might come off as desperate.”

“Or creepy,” Green said.

The Wizard regarded the wall again. “Almost everyone on there has at least three or four hearts filled in. Why do you need to muddle?”

White answered. “We need to make sure what happened to The Hero’s ancestor does not happen to him. His ancestor once had strong ties to everyone that lived here. But after his daughter moved and his wife passed away, The Hero’s ancestor neglected his friendships and closed himself off. When he overworked himself, there was no one to look after him.”

“And then you lost your connection to the valley,” The Wizard said. “So you’re only looking after The Farmer’s wellbeing so you’re not abandoned again.”

White nodded solemnly. “It seems selfish, we know. But we feel responsible for the passing of The Hero’s ancestor. We once helped him cultivate the land, but we became too playful and shirked out responsibilities, forcing him to work alone. We don’t wish for The Hero to meet with the same fate.”

Red touched the wall again, sliding portraits to the left and right like it was dismissing notification on a smartphone. “We’re only spirits,” Red said. “It’s best if The Hero can find lifetime friends he can confide in. But ultimately, we want there to be someone who is always by his side and genuinely cares for his well-being. His partner. Which brings us to this.”

Left on the wall were twelve portraits. The Wizard noted them all to be villagers around The Farmer’s age, all single. He realized what they were doing, but there were women and men on the wall. He spoke up, “Don’t you remember me telling you all that The Farmer was gay? Why do you have female marriage candidates up there?”

“Are you sure he’s not bi?” Blue spoke up. It actually held a smartphone in its hands. “According to this _FeedBuzz_ article, 95% of people they surveyed say that they’re openly straight or gay, but are actually bisexual. The only reason they don’t openly come out as bisexual is because of all the biphobia in human culture.”

The Wizard narrowed his eyes at Blue. “Where did you get that?”

“I took it from The Gamer’s room.”

The Wizard snapped his fingers, poofing the phone out of Blue’s hands and back into Abby’s room. “Don’t take people's things without their permission. Also, if The Farmer says he’s gay then don’t question it. Even if he is secretly bi, it’s extremely invasive, and not to mention rude, to out someone’s sexuality.”

“Okay, okay,” Red swiped the portraits of the six women to the side. “Then we’ll split into teams and focus on improving his relationship with these six men.”

The Wizard sighed, half-tempted to snap himself a beer from The Stardrop Saloon. These spirits were either very stupid or very openly ignoring the fact that no matter what actions they took, they’d never be able to change the fact that they were a part of a ‘Male Farmer x Alex’ fanfiction. They should just be putting all their effort into Alex, seeing as the boy already had seven of the ten hearts filled out. He turned to leave, but a change on the wall caught his eye.

Alex’s eighth heart had just turned red.

* * *

 

The glow of Alex’s alarm clock read 11:51 pm. The illuminated numbers judged him as he lay back on his bed in the dark. He’d been staring at his ceiling for the past fifteen minutes, listening to his heartbeat grow faster as he replayed the nights events over and over in his head. The look in The Farmer’s eyes, what did it mean?

He reached blindly for his bedside dresser, pulling open the top drawer and feeling around for the fabric he knew was there. He found it, and pulled The Farmer’s red bandana out. He held it above his head, staring at it. He’d had this since the night of the hurricane, but he’d kept forgetting to return it.

Another question crossed his mind. Why was he holding onto this? There was no way The Farmer even knew he had it. The other man probably had assumed it’d been lost in the storm. It did have a few holes in it and it was fraying on one edge. He could probably just toss it as easily as he could return it.

He thought about that moment when The Farmer had looked at him. How every part of him had so desperately wanted to move closer to the other man. He easily imagined The Farmer moving closer as he leaned forward. It was so easy, Alex doubted his own memories. Had The Farmer been moving in before Vincent’s dive in the ocean?

The numbers on the clock flitted to 12:00 am. He lowered his hand to his chest, setting the bandana over his beating heart.

_Do I...like him?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say that I started another farm for research purposes and I found a line of dialogue where Marlon commented on how Marnie looked lovely. And I am here for the Marnie, Marlon, and Lewis love triangle. I hope ya’ll are too, because if ConcernedApe is only going to give me Lewis and Marnie content, I am definitely gonna stir this pot and drag Lewis through the mud.
> 
> But anyways, I made a post about it, but I know I’m a little behind on my twice monthly update plan. In my defense, this is the second longest chapter I’ve written for this fic, so hopefully that will make up for me probably not updating again until February.
> 
> EDIT 1: My bf commissioned the absolutely beautiful comic from Azherwind. Find their blog [here!](https://azherwind-art.tumblr.com/)


	10. It's All in Your Head

Year: 1

Season: Fall

Date: 2nd

* * *

 

Alex stood on the beach, casting his gaze over the dark ocean. The moon was only a sliver of light overhead, offering a dim glow to the valley. It was long past the hour since Gus had closed his Saloon and the usual late-night regulars had retreated home. It would soon be closer to dawn than midnight, but Alex couldn’t spend another second lying in bed. His body fumbled with nervous energy and needed him to do something with it. Something other than watching the numbers on his alarm clock change agonizingly slow.

He sat down in the sand, but was no less content with sitting here than on his bed. He began sifting his hands through the sands in search of skipable rocks. Finding one, Alex flicked it over the water. It flew for several seconds, skipped once, then twice, and on the third skip, he noticed a figure standing in the water; a figure he recognized instantly. The man’s back was to Alex, but he’d turned as the stone skipped past him. His pant legs were rolled up to his knees and the waves lapped gently against his skin.

The Farmer said nothing as he stood against the backdrop of the night sky. The silence that was held between them grew longer, but Alex couldn’t make himself speak. Seeing only a black void where there should have been his soft smile and gentle eyes made Alex feel like he’d eaten rotten eggs. He attempted to stand, but the second he managed he was slammed back down. He landed on hardwood floor.

Alex was smaller now. He could feel his sudden loss of strength and reach as if his limbs had been amputated at the joints. Tears blurred his vision, but with a sinking feeling in his gut, he instantly knew where he was. The room was cold and spots on his back blistered hot in pain. His father stood over him, holding Alex’s little league gridball helmet like a trophy in his hands. Alex wore the rest of his protective gear, feeling completely naked and useless.

“Stand up,” the man barked.

Alex stayed curled up on the floor, using all his willpower just to not start sobbing. He wanted to stand, he knew his father’s rage would grow if he didn’t. But it only got worse if he started crying. Large and forceful hands gripped Alex’s arms, forcing him to his feet. Alex didn’t look his father in the eye, fearful that he’d see the start of any tears. The hands came away. His skin throbbed where he’d been held. An excruciating, but precise pain that would not bruise. His father began stripping Alex of the rest of his gridball gear in silence. When he finished, he stood with the gear in his hands.

“Grow up. Men don’t cry over simple things like this.” His father turned away.

“But mom-!” Alex cried out, but lost his voice. A chill ran down his spine, brought on by his father’s sudden glare. Alex clenched his fists at his sides, summoning the courage to keep talking. He wanted to play gridball with the other kids so badly. After today’s practice, everyone had praised him with smiles and pats on the back. It made him feel warm inside, and he didn’t want to lose that.

Alex returned his father’s glare, channeling the memory of that warmth. “Mom said this was mine. I wanna play gridball!”

His father held Alex’s gaze for an eternity, until he dropped the gridball gear to the floor. Alex flinched away. His father knelt down and reach for Alex again. Alex screwed his eyes shut and threw up his hands. Instead of what he’d been expecting, his father gently placed his hand on Alex’s head. He ruffled Alex’s hair and smiled a sad smile.

“Listen kid,” he said, “Your mother wants nothing more than to see you happy. Because she’s a good mother, right?”

Alex opened his eyes warily. His father pulled his hand away and his smile didn’t falter. Alex nodded.

“I have to tell you something difficult, okay? Something that she doesn’t want to share with you. We can’t afford this right now. Your mother and I already skip meals just so you can eat enough. If I don’t return this, she’ll have to skip even more. You don’t want your mother to starve, do you?”

Alex’s gaze dropped to the floor. “No…”

His father began to pick up the gridball gear. “I’m just looking out for us, okay Alex? I don’t want to be the villain because I’m doing what’s best for us.”

Alex didn’t say anything as his father left the room. He remained standing until he heard his father leave, and the apartment door lock. Tension released from his muscles and he collapsed onto the floor, beginning to cry. He’d wanted to play so badly. Why hadn’t he said he’d skip meals to? His mother had only brought the gear home a week ago. She’d taken pictures of him posing in the gear, and even more after practice with his friends.

“It’s not fair,” Alex wailed, “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!” His sorrow turned to frustration, and his cries became wordless screaming.

A chorus of screaming joined with his own. Alex shot up, fearful again, finding he was no longer in his room. He stood in an underground passage and now held a small torch in his hand. The smell of fear hung heavy in the air, the sour odor mixing with burning wood. He was older now, taller too. Something in the back of his mind registered this as a moment from before he started middle school in the valley. Those screaming sounded young, around his age.

“Come on!” Abby charged past him, yelling over her shoulder. She looked younger too; purple hair barely reaching her shoulders, wearing overalls and a black-purple plaid shirt. Alex had spotted an iron pipe gripped in her hands.

As she disappeared into the darkness, Alex felt a tug on his sleeve. Haley stood behind him, her grip tight on his shirt. She looked younger as well. Her blond hair was braided into pigtails and her blue dress covered in dark stains that Alex prayed to Yoba was just mud.

“Don’t let her go alone,” Haley managed to say. Her body shook, and her eyes screamed with fear. But Alex knew she wouldn’t go back without her sister. Instinct told him Emily must be somewhere in here.

Alex nodded, and the two ran after Abby with their shadows trailing along the wall. Eventually, the passageway opened out to a larger room. Alex spotted Abby swinging the pipe at a hoard of bats that swarmed over the figure of a younger Emily. Sebastian and Penny, both also younger, were crying, huddling beneath Emily, who had thrown herself over them. All three were covered in scraps and cuts, but Emily was worse off.

Another boy stood next to Abby. Alex recognized him as the boy from the roof. He also swung at into flapping mass of bats, wielding a large tree branch. Alex ran over to them, adding his torch to the fray. As he swung, he thought he spotted an odd shadow out of the corner of his eye. It swam on the wall, vaguely resembling a shark, but he didn’t let it divide his attention. Alex swung faster, stronger, managed to knock a few of the bats away. Deciding they were outmatched, the remaining bats shrieked and disappeared down another passage.

Haley immediately dropped down to her sister’s side. “Emily, you’re bleeding!”

Emily pulled herself up. As she did, Abby launched herself at Sebastian and Penny, locking the two in a bear hug. She started sobbing herself.  “I’m so sorry,” Abby wailed. “I didn’t want this to happen. I, I thought it’d be fun. I, I thought…”

She trailed off. Emily reached over and gently gripped Abby’s shoulder. This gesture also sent a wave of calming energy over the other children. “It’s alright,” she spoke softly. “We know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen. We’ll get out of here.”

The boy wielding the stick looked exhausted. “But how?” he asked.

“We stay here and wait for the adults to find us.”

“But what if more monsters come back?” Haley asked. “Shouldn’t we try and get out of here?”

Emily shook her head. “When you’re lost, it’s better to stay put. The mines are like a maze, but we haven't gone very far in. I’m sure they’ve noticed we’re missing by now. When they start searching, we don’t want to miss them by also walking about.”

No one seemed happy with the idea, but none could offer an alternative. Alex’s torch was burning down dangerously close to his fingers. The heat was already burning his skin. The others settled down on the cave floor around Emily. That is, all except for the boy with the stick. He had walked across the room and had begun pulling some of the weeds out of the ground. Alex watched him snap his branch over his knees and wrapped the foliage he’d gathered around it. Then he marched over to Alex and held out his hand.

Alex quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“It’s going to go out.” The boy said, referring to the torch. “We can light my stick so we don’t lose the light.”

Alex wasn’t sure it was a good idea to burn green plants, but handed his torch over regardless. The new torch sprang to life instantly. The boy dropped the old one and stomped out the flame. He handed the new torch back to Alex, and went back to scouring the cavern.

All eyes were on the boy now, watching as he gathered anything that looked remotely flammable: sticks, moss, parts of a broken support beam. He even managed to find one of the creepiest looking dolls Alex had ever seen. The boy dumped the items in front of the other kids and began to arrange them until it resembled a fire pit.

The boy held the doll in his hands, gesturing for Alex to bring his torch closer. Alex walked over and held the flame out. The boy held the doll out like a ritual sacrifice until the head burst into flames. Quickly, the boy shoved the doll into an opening under some of the kindling. The rest of the dolls body was quickly engulfed in flame, and a few moments later they had a warm bonfire burning away.

The children made collective ‘Oh’s’ and ‘Aw’s’ at his achievement.

“That’s amazing,” Alex said, moving closer to the warmth. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

The tips of the boy’s ears turned pink from the praise. He raise a hand, playing with the hair on the right side of his head. “My grandpa taught me. He said everyone should know basic survival skills.”

“You’re so cool!” Abby exclaimed, her previous fear already forgotten. “What else do you know?”

The boy sat down next to Alex and began to list off different things. How to set up a tent, how to find the North Star, what to do if you’re stuck in a room with a mime. He talked for some time, the other kids interjecting with questions, and for a while everything was fine.

But as time passed the calm atmosphere struggled to stay sustained. Every now and then, a monster would wail from deeper in the mines, sending a chill down everyone's back. It was hard to tell the passing of time, but to Alex, it felt as if they’d sat for hours. And now he really needed to pee.

Some of the others were nodding off, their exhaustion overtaking their fear. As discreetly as he could, Alex slipped off to relieve himself. Not wanting to do it in the same room as everyone else, he ducked into one of the passageways and around a corner so he was out of sight. Hardly any light from their fire reached here, but he knew he made a mistake. In the darkness, he saw dark outlines of monsters at least twice his size. They turned to face him simutainously, yellow eyes twinkling in the darkness.

Alex knew what the smart thing to do was. He knew that he should turn away and run as fast as possible back to his friends. So naturally, that’s what he did. He did of course, throw in a panicked and high-pitched scream. Just so everyone knew he was coming.

Despite the short distance back, his legs felt like they were burning. He didn’t hear the monsters follow, but he could feel their presence. The air behind him felt chilled and frigid, gaining on him and rapidly growing colder. He burst back into the larger room, his having awoken his friends. They all tactfully stood behind Emily, who was brandishing Abby’s iron rod. Before Alex could reach them, darkness swallowed the room. He could no longer make out the crevices on the cavern wall, nor see what he was running over. The fire still burned, but its light cast no shadows on the black void that had engulfed them.

Emily pulled Alex behind her when he was in reach. Haley also grabbed onto him, her small hands shaking even more than before. Around the room, the dark figures with yellow eyes silently rose from the floor - the closet one was less than a foot away.  Emily swung at it. The iron rod passed uselessly through its body. The monster raised one of its shadowy arms and batted her aside.

“Emily!” Haley let go of Alex to run to her sister’s fallen form. The other children remained where they were, frozen with fear.

“Alex.” A chill run down Alex’s spine. The voice came from inside his own head, a voice he thought he’d never have to hear again. “Alex,” his father’s voice repeated. “I don’t want to be the villain.”

Several new shadows rose, taking the shape of his father. He wasn’t sure if the others saw them. The one closet advanced, its hands growing larger as it approached. “I’m just looking out for my family,” his father said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Alex batted the hand away and dove for the iron rod that Emily had dropped. “Go away!” he cried. There was no hesitation when he swung it at his father. The shadowy form dissolved and reformed, and so Alex swung again. Over and over he swung, flailing blindly at anything that came close.  

And then the rod caught on something solid. Alex’s head felt heavy as he looked up into the empty socket of a skull. With a cry, Alex stumbled away from the skeleton and fell, dropping the rod. The skeleton lunged for Alex. Before it could reach him however, a rock collided with the monster’s collarbone, simultaneously dislodging its right arm and stunning it. The survival-savvy boy charged towards it, having picked up Alex’s dropped weapon, and swung at the skeleton. The skull sailed across the room, and the rest of the body collapsed into a pile.

Before he could utter any thanks, a cry drew Alex’s attention to the others. More skeletons had surrounded them. One held a shrieking Penny in its boney fingers, suspending her in the air while Haley clung to her foot in an attempt to pull the girl back. Sebastian had picked up burning sticks from the fire and brandished them at the other monsters.

The crunch of bone on rock brought Alex’s attention back. Two more skeletal foes advanced on him and the boy. The monsters walked slowly, as if savoring the fear they inspired. These ones wielded a rusty weapons - one a spear, the other a sword. The spear wielding one raised the weapon over its head, and when Alex realized it was aimed at him, he knew he was going to die.

“Go away!”

Blazing heat washed over the room. Shadows and Skeletons alike stumbled back. Haley managed to catch Penny when the other girl was dropped, and they both tumbled to the ground. Alex scrambled to his feet, and when he turned around he found the fire had grown to three times its original size. The fire flickered with red-white flames, dancing savagely as it dispelled the darkness. Abby stood closest to it, and Alex realized that it had been her who had screamed earlier. Her hands held a luminescent glow, which she stared at with wide-eyed.

“Yes!” A man’s voice echoed about the cavern. “Quickly, you must make the flame yours Abigail. Tell it what to do!”

The sword-wielding skeleton decided it had had enough. It charged at Alex again, its fellow monsters following suit. Abby raised her hands, which glowed brighter as she did, and screamed, “Leave my friends alone!” The bonfire became a pillar of white-blue flame, and an explosion rocked the cavern. The fire consumed the room, rushing forward like an ocean wave.  

Alex’s body moved on its own, and he tackled the other boy to the ground, intending to shield him from the flames. But as the fire passed over him, he only felt a gentle warmth. The monsters dying screaming filled the cavern as the flames reduced them to ash. When the fires subsided, all the kids were unharmed. The soft crackling of wood splitting in a normal bonfire was the only sound.  Alex and the boy stood up, and like the others, stared at Abby; who was staring at her own hands. Shock rendered everyone incapable of speech. Only Abby managed to mutter, ‘Did I do…that?’ before falling sideways.  

A loud snap echoed around the room and a man materialized just in time to catch Abby. He wore black robes and a funny looking hat. His purple hair was the same shade as Abby's, tied back into a ponytail and his face clean-shaven. “Shhh,” The man hushed as he gently laid Abby down. “You have no idea how proud I am, and I’m sorry I wasn’t faster. You used up too much energy and need to rest. I’m sure this was very traumatic for you.” The man looked around the room, meeting the children’s wild expressions. “For all of you in fact. It’s probably best if you don’t remember this event.”

The man snapped his fingers, and the remaining children collapsed to the ground. Alex’s own body felt like it he had been suddenly covered in wet blankets, forcing him to the ground. He fought to keep his eyes open, and somehow, he managed to retain consciousness. The boy fell next to him, unable to do the same.

Another shadow rose up next to the man, but this one did not attack. It did not have the yellow eyes like the other. Then it spoke. “Is she alright?”

The man nodded. “Yes. Thank you for your warning, Krobus, my friend. Without it, I would not have found them as quickly as I had.”

Krobus leaned over Abby’s sleeping form. “This human. She bears quite a resemblance to you. And she appears gifted with magic. Is she…?” Krobus let the question hang in the air.

The man did not look away from Abby as he answered. “She definitely has raw talent. So much that I’m afraid she can’t control it. She might learn to control it, but not until her body is older and able to handle the strain.”

Their voices swirled in Alex’s head. He heard what they were saying, but found it difficult to retain what was being said. His strength was fading quickly, and he knew he’d pass out soon. Before he did, mustered enough strength to speak a single word.

“Who…”

The man and shadow looked up. The man rose and quickly jogged over to Alex. He knelt down before him, a curious look on his face. “That’s strange. How did you resist my magic?” He waved his hand over Alex’s body. A violet light, shaped like a veil, was cast over Alex. Instantly, the veil was thrown back, and the man’s hand recoils as the light popped like firecrackers. The man narrowed his eyes, then cast a glance down at the other boy.

The man scoffed, irritation coloring his expression. “I see…”

“What is it?” Krobus asked.

The man rose. “It appears that my life as a supporting characters has begun. You,” he addressed Alex. “You young man are in for an interesting ride. Neither of us will recall this event for the time being. That is, until you remember it in a dream.” He snapped his fingers.

Alex bolted upright, his body drenched in sweat. The cold, morning autumn air crept in his bedroom through the slightly open window. He threw the covers off and crossed his room to close it. His hands remained on the window frame once closed, and he stood there, listening to his rapid heartbeat. Surely he’d closed it last night, hadn’t he?

“Alex?”  

Alex turned around. Sitting up in his bed, resembling a yawning cat in the way he was stretching out, was The Farmer. As the sheet rolled down his body, Alex felt all the blood in his body rush north. The Farmer was shirtless, and a very shameless glance further south confirmed there was nothing else between The Farmer and the bed sheet.  

Alex quickly turned away, hand covering his face. “Yoba fucking Christ, I have to be dreaming,” he muttered. “He’s naked. In my bed. This has to be a cruel prank from my subconscious.”  He slapped himself. “Wake up Alex, wake up!”

“Alex?” The Farmer’s concerned voice called. He rose from the bed and thankfully, Alex’s subconscious had the man wrap the bed sheet around himself as he stood. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle explicit nudity. The Farmer crossed over to him, placing his hand gently on Alex’s cheek.

The warmth from The Farmer’s hand felt very real. Alex let the other man turn his head so they were gazing directly at one another. The Farmer’s other hand found Alex’s, intertwining their fingers. Even from the first touch, Alex found himself calming, like he was supposed to be here, that he was safe. Instinctively, Alex slid his other hand under the bed sheet and across the skin of The Farmer’s back, pulling him closer. He closed his eyes and put his forehead against the other man’s, resting there as his heartbeat began to slow.

Maybe he wasn’t dreaming. He didn’t clearly remember last night. Everything between the Dance of the Jellyfish to this moment felt like a blur. His memory of the last day was hazy. He remembered being unable to sleep he knew that was true. So maybe he had gone to the beach last night. Maybe he had met The Farmer there, and maybe he hadn’t made himself out to be a total idiot. Maybe he really was standing in this embrace.  

He wasn’t sure how long they stood like that, he honestly wouldn’t mind staying like that forever, but The Farmer broke the silence. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Alex spoke sleepily. He leaned in the direction of his bed. “About what?”

The Farmer laughed softly, letting himself be pulled back towards the bed. The two started a slow wobble across the room. “Well you got up to quickly that for a moment I thought I was home and The B-, I mean, Saber, had wet the bed.”

Alex laughed. “I hope he doesn’t do that often. I’d hate to wake up to that when I stay over at your place.”

“Don’t change the subject,” The Farmer said sternly. “We’re talking about you.”

Alex ran his thumb along the skin of The Farmer’s back a few times before answering. “I was having a nightmare. About my father. And, I think something in a cave?”

The Farmer pulled away, and when Alex opened his eyes, he saw the other man looking at him doubtfully. “Your father took you in a cave?”

Alex frowned, attempting to recall the dream that was already fading in his mind. “No, I mean, after a nightmare about my father, I dreamt I was in a cave. I was fighting monsters, Abby was there, and there was something important about a fire.”

“Sound eventful. Did you win, or did you wake up because you died?”

Alex furrowed his brow. “I don’t remember.”

The Farmer moved his hand to brush away Alex’s bangs. “Well that’s okay. I’ll keep the nightmares away.” He leaned in, and brushed his lips against Alex’s. Alex kissed back immediately, his eyes closing as he pulled the other man even closer.

Before he could even start enjoying the kiss, The Farmer pulled away. Alex pouted, about to ask why, but stopped when he opened his eyes. It was no longer The Farmer in his arms, but something not even human looking. Its entire body looked like an oversized version of a child’s toy building block. It had short, stumpy arms, and impressions on its body that resembled a face. And there was more than one.

There was at least ten of them, balanced on top of each other while simultaneously holding up the bed sheet. The one on top, the green one, looked down at the other creatures and then back up at Alex.

“@#$*&@#%$!”

“AHHHH!” Alex screamed back at it in the same frequency he had in his dream.

Alex stumbled backwards and fell on the ground. The bed sheet fell on top of him, but it felt like it had been woven around his limbs. He thrashed and flailed on the ground, attempting to free himself from the 250 thread-count prison.

He ripped the sheet off of his head, finding himself alone in his bedroom. He now sat at the edge of his bed, his head throbbing as if he’d slammed it against the night stand when he’d fallen. Before the spinning stopped, his bedroom door slammed open.

George burst in on his wheelchair, wielding a baseball bat and screaming, “GET AWAY FROM MY BOY!”

Alex screamed back, which only prompted George to start screaming back and swing his bat. Between the panicked screaming and the blind swinging, George eventually made a swing so violent that his wheelchair tipped over. The man tumbled to the ground why a cry, and with all this screaming, Evelyn was surely having a heart attack in the next room.

“Grandpa!” Alex jumped up, running over to help George. “Are you okay?”

George resisted Alex’s advance to help for a moment, the adrenaline-fueled panic still pulsing through his system. Alex saw the recognition cross his grandpa’s eyes. “Well Yoba damnit Alex! Why the hell are you screaming so early in the morning? We thought you were being murdered.”

Alex helped George back into the chair. “I, I’m sorry. I had a nightmare.”

George snorted. “A nightmare? Alex, it’s too damn early for this. I’m going to convince your grandma you’re still alive and go back to bed.”

George wheeled out of the room, Alex closing the door after him. He remained there for a moment while he pondered his dreams. He knew his nightmare had been about his father and the mines but he couldn’t recall any further details.  On the same hand, he could easily recall everything about his dream with The Farmer – from the warmth of holding him to the words they’d shared. What was it that made him recall that part of the dream so vividly?

A cold gust blew into the room, and Alex realized the window was open. He crossed the room and closed it. As he latched the frame shut, he decided that focusing on the dream any further would drive him crazy.  He dropped back into bed and threw the covers over his head. Today was going to be his lazy day, and he prayed for dreamless sleep this time.

* * *

 

 Year: 1

Season: Fall

Date: 3rd

* * *

 

Alex was lying back on one of the sofas in Haley’s living room. He continued to mentally rehearse his speech, running through new scenarios based on what Haley might say. His hands were folded together on top of his chest and he stared at the outdated popcorn style ceiling. To distract himself from his unnecessary worrying, his mind creating shapes in the plaster, giving birth to unique plaster-constellations. Haley was in the kitchen humming to herself while she scooped ice cream into two bowls, none the wiser to her friend’s anxiety.

A few moments later, Haley set the ice cream on the coffee table. Alex noted that while the portions seemed the same, Haley had drowned her in toppings - from fruit to cookie crumbs to caramel sauce to whipped cream. She sat on the adjacent couch, twirling her spoon in her fingers before shoveling a first bite into her mouth.

“What’s this?” Alex asked.

“You said you wanted to talk,” Haley said. “You sounded pretty serious on the phone, and these kinds of conversations are always better with ice cream, right?”

Alex smiled. Leave it to Haley to have a pick-me-up ready. He sat up but left his spoon resting on the table. His palms felt sweaty and he had to keep his hands on his knees to keep them from shaking. “So, do you remember when we were back in high school?”

Haley nodded solemnly and then popped a strawberry chunk into her mouth. “Tragic times honestly. Remember how I used to hate everything pink and feminine?” She sniffled. “So many years, wasted.”

Alex forced himself to chuckle. “Yeah…” He picked up his spoon as steady as he could and forced himself to take a bite before continuing. It was like trying to swallow a tub of glue. “Remember that time when we were dating?”

Haley snorted. “You mean that time we told everyone we were dating, but were both too embarrassed to even hold hands? Yeah I remember.”

“What did that feel like for you?”

Haley gave him a cautioned glance. It would have almost even been intimidating, had it not been for the whipped cream on her cheek. “Alex, I thought we both agreed that our ‘relationship’ then was teenage hormones and that we were just going to be friends.” She used air quotes when she said the word ‘relationship.’  “You...You don’t wanna get back together, do you?”

Alex almost dropped his spoon. He felt his face heat up. “N-No! Haley I-”

“Oh thank Yoba,” Haley sighed heavily and placed a hand over her heart. “I thought I was going to have to break your fragile little heart.”

Alex forced himself to calm down, willing his heart to beat slower. Of all the scenarios he’d mentally gone through, this was not one of them. His words came out slightly sharper than intended. “Look, can you just answer the question?”

Despite his tone, Haley’s expression changed to one of amusement. She leaned towards, flicking her spoon at him and spraying him with leftover whip cream. “So you’re telling me that my muscle-brained, gridball-fanatic bestie wants to talk about his feelings? Care to elaborate why?”

Alex turned back and shoved more ice cream into his mouth. His goal was to keep this conversation casual, like he wasn’t trying to drop an information bomb on her. Haley kept leaning closer, her smile quickly resembling that of the Cheshire Cats. She was getting way too much enjoyment out of this.

“When we broke up,” he said, “I told you that the only reason I asked you out was because everyone was telling me that we’d make a cute couple. Our friends said that they thought we had already been dating, so we should just make it official already.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Haley waved her hand at him. “Peer pressure, fulfilling the cliché roles of the star gridball player and cheer captain dating, I understand all that. But why do you wanna know how I felt?”

Alex recalled her tearful eyes when he’d told her. “You said you actually had feeling for me.”

“I had a crush on you,” Haley corrected. “Specifically, I had a crush on your dimples. You really are too cute for your own good.”

Alex reddened. “Look, my point is, I never really had a crush on you back. So I’m not sure what it’s supposed to feel like when I do have one.”

“Oh?” Haley jabbed at him, her voice coy. “And do you have one?”

Alex smacked her hand away, “So what if I do?”  

Haley’s smile widened even further. After Alex had a moment to process what he’d just said, he reddened to the point that he looked sunburnt. He might as well just screamed ‘Yes!’ “I mean,” his voice squeaked, “Maybe? I don’t know.” Alex buried his head in his hands.

Haley patted Alex sympathetically on the back. “Okay, okay, I’ll quit teasing you.” She resumed eating her sundae, and between bites she said, “Well, imagine a romance movie. My blood raced, my heart fluttered, my mind went blank with happiness. I imagined music videos for us to go with every love song I heard on the radio. Plus I found myself skipping on my homework just to hang out with you more. So,” Haley prodded him again. “Is there someone that makes you feel that way?”

Alex mumbled into his hands.

“Alex, if you want to talk to me about it, you’ll have to actually talk to me about it.”

Alex lifted his head and mumbled again, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Alex threw up his hands. “I don’t know if I just _really_ like being their friend or if I want to be his boyfriend.”

“ _His_ boyfriend?”

Alex’s first instinct was to crash through the window, flee into the mountains, and beg Linus to teach him the noble art of hoboing. His fight or flight response was full force, and everything inside him was screaming flight.. He wanted to - no, he needed to talk to someone about this before his dreams confused him anymore. Haley was his best friend, and a self-proclaimed love monger. If anyone could help him sort through his feelings it’d be her.

But holy shit, was he having a formidable time using his vocabulary. It felt like a cat had stolen his brain rather than his tongue. He couldn't even look at Hailey right now. His vision tunneled in on a scratch on the wood floor. He should probably bring that to her attention, instead of talking about something dumb and sappy like his feelings. That wasn’t too obvious of a topic changer was it?

“Alex?”

She sounded, well, not like he’d expected. Not that he’d expected her to sound like anything to begin with. Her voice brought a memory rushing up into his mind. It was a usual summer day for them, a year after they’d graduated high school. Haley lounged in a chair near the ice cream stand, stretched out and looking like a model readying for a photo-shoot. She’s always carried herself like that, fully confident in everything she did. He’d asked the question without really thinking about it first: ‘Why don’t you ever hang out with anyone from high school anymore?’

 Haley gave her answer casually, while turning the page of the magazine she was reading. ‘There are some people you’re only friends with because you’re forced to see them every day,’ she said.

Is that how she viewed him as well? Were they only friends because she had to live here? She’d complain on occasion about how she hated living in the boonies, but never showed any ambition to actually moving to the city. Are things going to change now?

“Alex?” This time, the concern in Haley’s voice was evident to Alex, but he still couldn’t find the words.

Of course things wouldn’t change. They’ve been friends for over a decade. They survived the back-stabbing and hormone-crazy hellscape that was high school and still came out best friends afterwards. He never once doubted the validity of their friendship before now. Before all the confusion about who he was now.

Haley reached out and gently touched Alex’s shoulder.

Alex, not expecting the contact, flew across the couch like he’d been stung by a bee, pulling himself into a tight ball against the armrest. “The Farmer!” He exclaimed.

Haley’s hand hovered in the air, just above where Alex had been. “The Farmer,” she said.

His face heated and he felt a frog lodged in his throat. He forced himself to swallow it, knowing he had to keep talking before he froze up again. “I, I think I have a crush on, on The Farmer.”

“Oh?” Haley brought her hands together in front of her, pressing her fingertips together, and then lifted her right leg high in the air before crossing it over her left leg. “And you were doing so well. You managed half a sentence with gender neutral pronouns, but then you had that pesky Freudian slip.”

Alex’s mind was only able to process a few of those words. “W-What?”

“I’m teasing you Alex,” Haley folded her hands into her lap. The playful in her expression lessened, but she was still smiling. “I know that’s probably a little insensitive of me right now. So, I want thank you for feeling you could talk to me about this.”

Alex’s heartbeat was steadily decreasing from the rate he hadn’t even realized it’d elevated to. He furrowed his brow as he attempt to reclaim his ability to speak. “Haley, you look like our old guidance counselor when you sit like that.”

She stroked her chin, running her fingers over her non-existent goatee. “Ah, but isn’t that why you’ve come to me? You’re asking me for guidance about your feelings, aren’t you?”

“I...I don’t know.”

“And what do you mean, ‘You don’t know?’ You’ve said that many time already.”

Alex glared at her, but knew he shouldn’t. She was offering to help, in her own way. “You’re being pretty casual about this,” he said.

“I had a feeling something we going on between you two,” Haley admitted. “But I didn’t want to assume anything until you actually told me what was going on. So, again, what do you mean when you say you don’t know?”

Alex’s body unwound itself slowly. His feet lowered back to the floor, he felt himself unfusing from the armrest.  “Well, ever since I stopped helping him out at the farm, it just feels...different to be around him?”

“Different,” Haley repeated. She looks seconds away from whipping out a pen and paper, turning this into a full on therapy appointment. She’d probably even charge him for it. “Can you elaborate on that?”

Alex sighed. “I guess it feels like I need a reason to see him now. I had an excuse to see him every day last month, and after a while I realized that I just liked talking with him. Everything he does is has so much thought put behind it. And when he talks about his work, he throws out all these technical terms like nothing. I mean, he started life as a farmer only two months ago! It’s, I don’t know, intoxicating listening to him.”

Haley smirked. “So you’d be content to listen to his voice and nothing but his voice _all_ day and night?”

Alex’s face reddened. “I didn’t say that.”

“Oh honey, but you did.”

Alex chucked a throw pillow at her.

Haley giggled, setting the pillow on the floor after she caught it. “Okay, okay, I’ll be serious. But you’re getting off topic. You never said why it feels different to be around him.”

Alex took a moment before answering. “I guess while helping him out, I realized how busy he actually was. I’m still waking up feeling sore. He does all that work day in and day out by himself, and he still plans on expanding his fields. Every time someone visited, they only came because they had business with him. You were the only one who showed up to socialize.”

“So why can’t you just show up and socialize?”

“Because now he’s back to working. And I mean, look at me,” Alex guested at himself. “What kind of business does a seasonal ice-cream man have with a farmer?”

“Couldn’t you offer to help him out again?”

“I already tried that,” Alex sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it a moment and then handed it to Haley to read.

**Alex: Morning farm boy!**

**Farm Life: Morning. What’s up?**

**Alex: nothing, just bored**

**Farm Life: Aw, is Dusty refusing to play catch?**

**Farm Life: I’d offer Saber to you, but you know he can barely catch mice as it is.**

**Farm Life: I think frisbee is a little out of his skill level.**

**Alex: haha, very funny**

**Alex: actually, i was wondering if you wanted any help again?**

**Farm Life: Thank you, but I’m fine.**

**Farm Life: I’d feel bad if you kept working for me without me paying you.**

**Alex: you don’t have to pay me**

**Alex: weren’t you hurt saving vincent?**

**Farm Life: Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.**

**Farm Life: Besides, I wouldn’t want to cut into your gridball practice**

**Farm Life: :p**

Haley handed the phone back. “Two things. One, considering your brain is a literal gridball, he’s probably joking about that last part. Two, you need to really work on coming off as less desperate.”

Alex mumbled to himself, something about how he wasn’t being desperate. “I just, I wanna hang out with him more, but he’s so busy. He doesn’t have any sort of weekends or holidays. I feel like if I don’t have a reason to see him, I shouldn’t.”

Haley frowned at him. “Shouldn’t just wanting to see him be enough reason? If he asks you can just tell him that. Personally, I’d be pretty flattered if a cute guy said he just wanted to see me.”

Alex tried to not let the embarrassment show on his face. He wasn’t used to all this direct praise about his looks. “But what if he interprets it the wrong way?  I don’t even know if my feeling are platonic or romantic yet.”

After a few moments, he looked back at Haley. She held her hands together in front of her mouth, her fingers laced together. Her bottom lip was extended slightly, like she was thinking of something distasteful. “Okay, Alex, before we talk about this any further, I gotta ask. Should you really be entertaining these possibly romantic feelings you’re having?”

Alex looked at her incredulously, like his best friend has suddenly been replaced by someone that looked exactly like her. “What?”

“Hear me out,” Haley said, raising her hands in defense. “I know you must be taking this seriously if you want to talk to someone about it, but have you asked yourself if The Farmer would even reciprocate these feelings.”

Alex breathed out and looked away. He felt stupid, even slightly ashamed for his previous mental rehearsals of this conversation. Haley was concerned and just looking out for him. Nothing really had changed.

But what she just said implied that she didn’t know about The Farmer’s sexuality. He probably hadn’t told her yet. Alex wasn’t sure how The Farmer felt about letting other people know. He’d mentioned once or twice about people who had reacted poorly, so maybe he didn’t want other people spreading it around yet. Since Alex wasn’t even sure of his own feeling, he decided it was probably best to keep The Farmer’s sexuality to himself for now.

Haley continued. “I’m assuming that pause means you don’t know. And if that’s the case, then I don’t you should entertain these feelings. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I know you two are close now, but what about your relationship further down the road?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Haley sighed heavily and frowned, “First off, what if he’s not into men? You could confess to liking him and you’d have two outcomes. He’d reject you and then you’d either remain friends or he’d get weirded out, and would you want to remain his friend after that?”

“Why’d he be weirded out?”

Haley raised an eyebrow. “Well, there’s a lot of men out there that react negatively to finding out that other men find them attractive.”

“Really, why?”

Haley stared at Alex for a moment too long, making him feel uncomfortable. But then she started laughing. “Oh Yoba, bless you for shielding this sweet summer child from toxic masculinity.” She continued before Alex could say anything else. “Okay, this is going to become an entirely different conversation if I get into it, but here’s the short of it: too many men out there think that they can’t admit other men look good. Doing so in any way shape or form makes them look like a woman, or gay, which they believe is bad. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like you’ve picked up any of that.”

“Well,” Alex scratched the back of his head, “I’ve guess I’ve always thought that both men and women can be attractive. I never thought it was a bad thing either. I’ve just never thought about dating another man before.”

“You mean before The Farmer came along, right?”

Alex frowned. “Do you see why I want to talk to someone? I’m not sure what romantic feelings are supposed to feel like.”

“Hm,” Haley scooped the last of her sundae into her mouth, then when to work on Alex’s half-finished and half-melted one. “Well, have you considered The Farmer’s feeling at all? How does he feel about you?”

“We’re friends of course,” Alex said.

“But have you guys actually talked about it at all?”

“Talked about it? Don’t real friendships just natural happen?”

“They can,” Haley admitted. “But from what I’ve heard you say, you’re not even sure of your own feeling on the relationship. What if you do have a chance with The Farmer, but you decided that you’d rather remain friends because you weren’t sure? Then what if further down the line you realized your feeling are romantic, but he’s with someone else? Could you keep up your friendship with him and still harbor these feeling?

“When you know how the other person feels, it's easier to sort out your own feelings. If you think you want to pursue a relationship with The Farmer, then you should talk to him about it. Talking about your relationship will get you closer to an answer than remaining quiet.”

Alex regarded her for a moment with an awestruck silence. “You certainly seem to know a lot about relationships.”

“Don’t you remember my senior project in high school? Last day of school turned in a fifty page essay about a study on different forms of communication and how they affect our daily lives. Plus I am taking online classes at SDU in communication studies. You should feel that I’m more than qualified to be the one offering relationship advice.

“Plus, look at my competition. Everyone who’s actually in a relationship in this valley is already married - and their advice would be old fashioned - so that leaves you with Clint and Lewis. Cint’s relationship with my sister is non-existent since he’s got no backbone, and you _really_ don’t want to end up like him. Lewis likes to think his relationship with Marnie is a secret, but I imagine that puts unnecessary strain on their relationship. I mean, nobody’s seen Lewis since the Jellyfish festival.” Haley paused, concern crossing her expression. “You know, we should probably check his house after our talk.”

“So what you’re saying is despite any real experience of your own on the subject, just researching it is enough to make you an expert?”

Haley lightly smacked Alex on the nose with her spoon. “I’ll have you know I’m perfectly happy without a romantic relationship in my life right now. I’m a strong an independent woman who only needs the occasional assistance with opening pickle jars.” She scooped up the empty ice cream bowls and went to deposit them into the sink. She turned on the faucet and began to wash them. Then she said, “So, as your official romance advisor,”

“Please don’t call yourself that,” Alex interrupted.

“I need to know. What has our local farmer done to capture your affections?” Haley teased, “What sort of conversations have you two had that made you start questioning your feelings?”

Alex had the urge to sink deeper into the couch until the cushions swallowed him whole. But at the same time, the prospect about talking to someone about The Farmer was too appealing. He couldn’t find himself to look Haley in the face right now, his own was still burning, so he raised his voice while keeping his back to her. “What do you wanna know?”

“Anything,” Haley said. “Just tell me what you know about him.”

“He’s not close with his parents, but I know he really loved his grandpa,” Alex said immediately. “Whenever he talks about farming, he pulls his grandfather into the conversation. It’s usually some story from his childhood about how his grandpa taught him something. It’s kinda endearing to see how easily he can talk about his grandpa.” Alex continued easily, surprising himself at how easily he could recite some of The Farmer’s stories.

Haley listened silently as she took her time washing the dishes. A small, knowing smile touched her lips.

In the middle of one of the stories, Alex stopped. Fireflies suddenly danced around the room as another memory came rushing into his mind. Just him and The Farmer, sitting side-by-side, staring out at the field. Despite the humid air and their close proximity, Alex remembered a chill hanging around their conversation and the downcast look in his eyes as The Farmer tightly gripped the decks edge.

“He’s afraid of being alone,” Alex said aloud.

The front door opened in that moment, and Alex jumped so high he almost hit the ceiling. Emily shuffled in, brown paper bags filled with groceries supported in her arms. “Oh, hello Alex,” she said, closing the door with her foot, “Don’t mind me.”

“T-That’s alright,” Alex stuttered, feeling very flustered. He quickly swiped up his jacket and made his way to the door. “I was actually just leaving.”

Alex managed to slip on his shoes quick enough, but when his hand touched the door, he was stopped by Emily. At first, Alex didn’t even realized it was Emily that had stopped him at first. All he had registered was that a leg materialized in his way. She had thrown her foot against the wall only a few inches from Alex’s head.

Emily glared at him. “I sense...something.”

Alex’s head turned very slowly to face her. “You, you...what?”

Emily leaned in, forcing Alex to lean away. His back found the wall all too quickly as she came practically nose-to-nose with him. He actually would have found the feat very impressive if she wasn’t simultaneously making him feel like a cornered rat.

“You’re radiating a very…peculiar energy,” she said. “Your aura is filled with conflicting emotions, stemming from...something.”

“Haley?” Alex’s voice pleaded at a volume that was no more than a whimper.

Haley was going to be no help to him. She had forced herself to turn away with her hand over her mouth to smother her laughter. Every so often a snort would escape her.

Alex knew that Emily was a strong believer in all that personal aura and good vibes stuff. Haley usually had some new story about was unbecoming activity her sister was up to. He’d even gleaned peeks inside her room from time to time and seen various crystals and tools gathered on her shelves. But he’d never experienced her occultist hobbies first-hand.

“No!” Emily cried. In a flash, she set the bags down and cupped Alex’s face in her hands. Her foot remained where it was; it was very awkward for Alex since it was practically resting on his shoulder. Clint would probably die – both if he were in this situation or observing it.

“Not something.” Emily said, “ _Someone_ is causing this. But you don’t seem as if you’re cursed. Who did this?”

A mental image of The Farmer popped into his mind.

Emily’s intense stare quickly switched to a warm smile. “Oh! Oh I see.” The sheer intensity that had surrounded her dissipated instantly. She brought her foot down and clapped her hands together. “Oh Alex, congratulations! I’m so happy for you. Have you two set a date for the wedding yet?”

Haley roared with laughter, filling the house as her hand became unable to contain it any longer. Alex’s entire body flared red. Seeing as his escape route was clear again, he fled without a word.

Emily frowned, turning to her sister. “Was it something I said?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update! I'm sorry it's been so long...it's been like a month and a half now? My job's been running me down, I caught a nasty case of pneumonia, and I bought a copy of The Witcher 3, which is so addicting that I've been skipping out on my writing time just to play the game more...
> 
> This chapter also took longer to write since it has a more serious tone to it, which is admittedly not something I write often about. But it's still a chapter I really wanted to write. Haley and Alex's conversation has existed since I first brainstormed for this fic, it was a kinda therapy for me because of stuff I was going through at the time. A lot of the details surrounding their conversation have changed as the fic evolved, but the core message I wanted is still there. It just took me a while to hammer out with all the changes. I also wanted to include two more dates into this chapter so I could give you The Farmer's narration, show his reactions to the almost kiss, and develop the friendship between him and another villager that will become more plot relevant later (hint, she has purple hair). Alas, this chapter clocks in at 8,828 words, about 30 pages in Word. And with what I've already written for those next two dates, I was approaching 43 pages, so I assumed ya'll wouldn't like a chapter that long. At least the next chapter should hopefully be up soon! I mean, I have almost finished doing a 100% run of The Witcher 3 =P
> 
> Disclaimer: I straight up stole a few of Haley's lines from another character in the webcomic Autophobia. Autophobia just has some really great advice about relationships (advice that I really wish someone had told me when I first came out). The few lines starting with "When you know how the other person feels..." were spoken by Melina Santiago-York, one of the main characters mother. I really think it's solid advice, that's why I took the original stuff and made some minor edits to fit this fic. If you want something with a cute art-style, great storytelling, and a diverse cast, that's also mlm to read, I recommend reading it [here](http://www.autophobiacomic.com/comics/2491751/autophobia/).


	11. The Gremlin is in Another Castle

Year: 1

Season: Fall

Day: 5th

* * *

With the gloomy skies outside, there was no natural light to illuminate the insides of the community center. The Farmer was forced to work mostly in the dark.  He had to use the flashlight function of his phone just to make sure he didn’t hit his thumb. He hammered away, quickly driving nails into the new two-by-four he was attaching to one of the support beams. For the past couple of days he’d gone directly to the community center after morning chores. He was no carpenter, but he figured he knew enough to keep the building from collapsing in on itself.

The Junimos watched quietly from the sidelines, like rabbits or squirrels would watch someone taking a stroll through the woods; unsure if this vaguely menacing walker was a threat, but still waiting for the opportune moment to flee. Normally this wouldn’t bother him - they almost never shut up when he came around - but today he wished they’d be their usual, annoying selves and ask him what he was doing. If he could explain what he was doing, as he was doing it, it would waste his time. And if he wasted his time explaining then he wouldn’t waste more time toiling over that dumb question. The dumb question that had robbed him of sleep for the last four nights. And great. Here he was, thinking about it again.

Alex wasn’t really going to kiss him that night, was he? Every second The Farmer allowed himself to entertain the thought was a second he felt his sanity slip away. He was beginning to invent all these intricate scenarios in his head in which he and Alex would be together. Romantically.

That night, when he sat in the clinic and waited for Harvey to give him the all-clear, he told himself it was the adrenaline that had made him imagine the situation. Then the night after, when he woke up from an embarrassing dream of Alex, he told himself that he was overstressed and just pent up. The night after that, when he had the same exact dream, he told himself he was just _really_ overstressed and pent up.

But last night, his dreams had recreated the night of the Dance of the Jellyfish. This time, Vincent was nowhere to be seen. In that moment, when he looked over and found Alex staring at him, The Farmer’s heart stopped. He was inexplicably drawn towards the other man. They leaned towards each other, and as they did, Alex reached out for him. His hand gently cupped The Farmer’s cheek and pulled the two of them together. The second before their lips touched, The Farmer woke up with a wetness in his eyes. He had remained in bed, unable to return to sleep or stop the tears falling from his face. And in the company of the empty cottage he finally admitted that he was in denial.  

That was the worst thing he’d ever done to himself - validate his own feelings.  He’d had this same internal argument over and over, all ending with the same infuriating “ _What-if’s?”_

Alex had a very obvious attraction to women. But what if that was just a cover? Plenty of people liked to annoying proclaim their heterosexuality in order to cover up any possible notion that they were anything otherwise. Usually the louder someone was about being straight, the more insecure they were about their own sexuality. That, or they felt the need to overexert for their own safety. The Farmer had only lived here for two months, but it didn’t feel like the residents of Pelican Town were actually members of a super-secret anti-homo cult. It was unlikely that Alex felt unsafe about coming out. That is, if he even was in the closet.

But what if Alex was still in the closet? What if The Farmer did have a chance? Why the hell was he running away from it? He literally could not have jumped into the water any faster. Sure, it was for Vincent’s safety, but he felt like he was just hiding behind that. Any normal person who had the full attention of the literally ray of sunshine, with dimples, named Alex should have been too distracted to realize what had happened to Vincent. The way that Alex was looking at him, the way he felt gazing back at Alex, everything else around him should have faded from consciousness. Instead, The Farmer remembered being very aware of Vincent’s excited footsteps on the wooden docks. He was pretty sure he’d even launched himself off the dock before Vincent hit the water’s surface.

_What if_ I’m _scared?_

No, that’s stupid. He’d been with other guys before. He’d even been with guys he’d thought would be in his life forever. It’s not like he was afraid of commitment or anything. But then why did he always wake up right before he’d kissed Alex?

With a heavy sigh, The Farmer brought his head against the support beam a little too strongly. He wasn’t doing his mental health any favors by running through all these hypothetical questions and scenarios. He had a business he was already struggling with and on the side, he had the Junimos; which were basically a horde of five-year-olds he’d willingly adopted in order to screw over his old boss. He didn’t have time to think about his love life.

The Farmer walked over to his backpack and dropped the hammer back inside. When it fell against the bottom, the building shook. He froze, looking very confused and concerned at the hammer he had just dropped. Then the building shook again, dust falling from the rafters. His first thought was an earthquake was hitting Pelican Town again.

A window shattered as an object came flying through it. The Farmer instantly recognized it as Blue. Blue rolled once it hit the ground, an attempt to look like an action-flick hero. It almost worked, but the Junimos were too round to pull off any sort of 008 impressions. Blue was poised to launch itself back out the window but froze when it noticed The Farmer staring down at it. There was an awkward silence, and the building shook again.

“So,” The Farmer crossed his arms, “care to explain what’s going on?”

“What’s there to explain?” Blue’s voice cracked like a teen going through puberty. “Please continue your work! There is nothing going on outside. That was nothing!”

The building shook again.

“Right, nothing.” The Farmer echoed. He held his gaze with Blue. The spirit shrunk under his gaze, droplets of sweat covering its body. Blue clearly did not handle pressure well. “So, what are you guys all up to then?”

“O-Oh, you know. Just simple things. There’s obviously no problem outside!”

“WE HAVE A PROBLEM OUT HERE!” Red’s shrill voice screamed from outside.

“My brethren!” Blue threw itself out the window, Farmer forgotten. Or perhaps Blue realized that lying would get it nowhere at this point.

The Farmer followed Blue but purposefully choice to use the door instead of the window. Outside, he saw Blue charging in the direction of Joja Mart. The Junimo jumped off the cliff overlooking the river, and the ground shook again. Like a geyser, water shot nearly twenty-feet skyward from the river.  As the water fell back to earth, The Farmer noticed the bodies of Green and Yellow had apparently been caught in the geyser.  The Farmer quickly stepped back into the community center to avoid getting rained on. He heard the ‘thump’ from one of the Junimos landing on the roof. He assumed it must have been Green, because when he stuck his head out again to check on the situation, he just barely managed to catch Yellow body slamming an unfortunate and low-flying woodpecker.  

Green leapt off the community center but took no notice of The Farmer. Yellow thanked and also apologized to the woodpecker – from all the squawking and screaming The Farmer assumed the bird had some very choice words to share with the spirit. Both spirits charged back towards the cliff and leapt off.

“Okay…” The Farmer said to himself. He looked around, seeing he was by himself. “I guess whatever is happening isn’t that serious?” He stepped out from the safety of the building and made his way towards the cliff. When he reached it, his first thought was that he was dreaming. Just below the cliff’s edge was The Wizard. He was reclining in a lawn chair that hovered in the air. A large bowl of popcorn also hovered nearby and occasionally kernels would throw themselves into The Wizard’s mouth.  

“You’re all doing fantastic,” The Wizard called. “A few more minutes and I’m sure you’ll take it down!”

“We could use your help!” White’s voice yelled back.

“Oh, you know I would, but I used all my magic conjuring that potion. You spirits are on your own.”

The Junimos were all on the riverbank, facing off against what appeared to be a twelve-foot mud monster. There were two impressions where its eyes should be, and a row of sharp stones served as its mouth. It wasn’t something The Farmer had ever seen in the mines before. The Junimos themselves were cloaked in glowing yellow light, throwing balls of energy at the monster as they jumped around to avoid the monster’s attacks. The monster looks mostly annoyed with the spirits – in fact the Junimos didn’t appear to be doing any real damage.

The monster roared, but the sound it made was more akin to a screaming rabbit than any monster The Farmer had heard before. It jumped once, landing back in the river and shaking the ground. Water rushed forward, throwing Red and White into the air this time.

The Farmer swore he’d seen this exact scene in _Dragon Sphere Y_ years ago, but there was one addition that he had trouble processing. Morris. Morris, the Joja Gremlin was held captive in the monster’s fist. His glasses were askew, held to his face only by the dry mud that also covered his mouth, and the unmistakable red bowtie still clung to his neck. The two men locked eyes, and The Farmer saw the unfiltered fear in Morris’ eyes.

 The Farmer brought a hand to his face and closed his eyes. “I’m hallucinating,” he said. “All this lack of sleep and now I’m hallucinating.”

“Oh no, this is all very real.” The Wizard said. “It’s got to do with that potion I told you about before.”

The Farmer lifted his head to find that The Wizard’s lawn chair had risen up so the two were at the same height. It was a little off putting, but The Wizard was grinning ear to ear. The Farmer rarely saw him smile.

“He’s a real damsel in distress, isn’t he?” The Wizard asked. “I can even put him in the appropriate outfit if you want me to.” He snapped his fingers, and Morris’ outfit changed. He now wore a small golden crown with blue and pink jewels atop his head and his suit was replaced with a pink and white-lace dress. Even his perfect black shoes had been replaced with a pair of hot pink heels. Unfortunately, the bowtie remained. “See? Just like that one video game character.”

“When you said you were going to help the Junimos, I didn’t think you were going to kill Morris.”

“Kill him? Pft, Noooooo.” The Wizard waved his hand. “I have this situation under control. See, the way I figure it is that we can draft a potion to keep Morris away from the community center, but I don’t know how long it’d last. And what would we do after that? Keep spiking his drinks with it? He’d just build up a tolerance to the potion and we’d be back where we started. So, I thought it better to traumatize him.”

“You’re traumatizing him?” The Farmer echoed.

“Yes, and with the help of this potion,” The Wizard snapped his fingers and a square vial with black liquid appeared in the air, “we can make Morris forget this ever happened. But, his subconscious will remember it all. I waited outside with The Junimos for Morris to come by today. When his hand touched the doorknob, I summoned the monster and he was pulled away. This way, any time he tries to approach the community center, he’ll be overcome with the fear associated with this trauma remembered by his subconscious, thus leaving the Junimos alone forever! It’s foolproof.”

“Okay,” The Farmer looked back at the fight. “Then why are The Junimos fighting it?”

“Oh, I convinced them that this wasn’t supposed to happen, and that Morris’ life is actually in danger. A little payback for them breaking into my tower.”

The Farmer looked around, still not seeing anyone else. “But what about the rest of the villagers? Why hasn’t anyone come out to see?”

“I put them all to sleep.”

“How?”

The Wizard flicked one hand into the air and glitter exploded from his fingertips. Two words, formatted like early 2000 Clip Art, appeared. They read _‘Plot Convenience!’_

“I figured you’d be knocked out too but was reminded last chapter that my magic has a weaker hold on you and another individual.” The Wizard flicked his hand down, and a blue and green screen resembling a computer monitor appeared; like they were suddenly in a virtual reality MMO. The Farmer thought he noticed Alex’s face on the screen briefly, but The Wizard scrolled down too quickly. “And thus, we had to wait. Our window of execution is only from one to four. According to the Wiki, the other one my magic doesn’t work on is lifting weights in his room. He shouldn’t notice that the rest of his household is frozen in time.”

The Farmer looked away from the monster. “Wait what?”

“Farmer!” The mud covering Morris’ mouth had unfortunately been washed away with the most recent geyser.  Joja’s employee of the month was free to solicit The Farmer a membership again. “Farmer, please help me! You slay monsters, right? I’ll give you anything if you help me!”

Blue and Yellow soared overhead, launched by another geyser. It looked like The Farmer was about to get soaked, but thankfully, The Wizard summoned a large umbrella for the two of them, protecting them from the sixty percent chance of raining river and spirits. The Farmer watched the two of them bounce off the umbrella before they dove back into the fray.

The Farmer addressing The Wizard, not taking his eyes off the fight. “So you’re sure he’s in not physical danger?”

“Of course.”

“And he’s not going to die?”

“The ESRB wouldn’t have rated our game as E+10 if we had any actual character death.”

The Farmer had no idea what The Wizard had just said, but it seemed like everything would be fine.

Morris screamed again. “Please, my dear farmer, you have to help!”

The Farmer looked back down at the battle. A small smile tugged at his mouth. “You know Morris,” The Farmer called. “I would, honestly I really would. But I left my sword back at home.” He grabbed the popcorn bowl from the air and sat cross-legged in the grass. “And you know the first thing they taught me in the scouts was to never approach a monster if you’re unarmed. And I can’t break that rule. They’d revoke my ascot.”

* * *

 

After ten minutes, it became very apparent that the Junimos somehow had access to cable tv or some type of streaming device; and that they spent way too much time watching anime. While most of them were just screaming to accent they ridiculously over-dramatic attacks, a few stuck out to the Farmer.

Yellow was overcome with middle-school-syndrome and had given all of its attacks really embarrassing names like ‘Lucifer’s Holy Inversed Hammer.’ Green had apparently taking the role of support and was serenading the others with a rendition of ‘ _I Want It That Way’_ by the DownAvenue Guys. Green was somehow able to sing all five vocals simultaneously and The Farmer could almost see the boy band dancing behind the spirit. Blue had created some complicated backstory for itself where the mud monster was involved in its parent’s deaths and was trying to monologue. However, instead of actually helping the others fight, Blue just struck dramatic poses whenever it finished a sentence. That is when it finished a sentence. Blue was so long-winded that it was usually just knocked away before it finished speaking.

After fifteen minutes, Morris passed out and The Farmer had finished his popcorn.

After twenty minutes, Morris had been dropped and forgotten.

The Farmer watched the gremlin’s body float down the river, facedown; he only felt slightly concerned. The real travesty was that the dress looked like it had been ruined. It had actual improved Morris’ looks.  “You sure he’ll be okay?” The Farmer said to The Wizard.

The Wizard waved his hand in the air and Morris’ body flipped right-side up. “I’ll make sure he wakes up on the riverbank. He’ll think he just fell in and bumped his head.” 

“FOOL!” Orange cried out, drawing back The Farmer’s attention. Orange faced off against the mud monster with the other Junimos lying unconscious behind it. “You may have killed my friends, but you haven’t killed our bonds! Our hearts are connected. Not even death can severe that bond.”

The monster roared, mud spraying from its mouth and covering Orange’s face.

Orange screamed back at it. “This isn’t even my final form!”

The Farmer stood up. “Okay, well I think I’m going to go now before they start singing K-Pop.”

An elegant grandfather clock materialized in the air near The Wizard and began to chime. He regarded it with a frown. “Well, I suppose I should wrap this up. It is almost four o’clock. Farmer, before you go, take this.”

The Wizard summoned a bottle containing red liquid and tossed it at The Farmer, who barely managed to not drop it.

“What’s this?”

“An energy tonic,” The Wizard responded. “I imagine you must be tired from working your land and then coming here and fixing up the center. I know you’re going up to the mine for more materials. You’d upset a lot of people if you came back all cut up because you were too tired to protect yourself.”

“Oh, uh, wow.” The Farmer’s brain felt like it wasn’t connected to the rest of his body. He almost at a loss for words. “That’s actually pretty considerate of you. Thank you.”

The Wizard snorted then mumbled under his breath, “If you wanna call it consideration…” He waved The Farmer off. “Go, before I drop too much foreshadowing. I’ll take care of things here.”

“Okay… See you later then.”  The Farmer turned and walked away. He uncorked the bottle and quickly downed the contents. He’d expected the same mossy texture he’d encountered from drinking the first potion he’d received from The Wizard. Thankfully, this drink felt more liquid than solid against his throat. The aftertaste of cherry and mint filled his mouth.

The Farmer returned to the community center to retrieve his. It rested against the wall just inside the front entrance. His ‘forgotten’ sword was lying on the ground next to it. After securing the sword to his belt and slinging the backpack over his shoulder, The Farmer headed back out.

In the place where the monster had appeared, small stars rose up against the gloomy sky. The unmistakable sound of K-Pop, sung by Green, was heard in the distance, accompanied by the other Junimos sobbing happily.  The Farmer ignored them and continued up the pathway to the mountains.

When he reached the crest of the mountain path, the dark-grey clouds rumbled overhead, a foretelling of rain. There was something else that reach his ear though. Something that made him pause. A melody fluttered on the wind, accented occasionally by the rumble of thunder. The Farmer stopped in his tracks, looking around for the source.

The light of a lantern caught his eye, set under a pine tree near the shore of the mountain lake. Abby stood in the shade of the pine, a flute brought up to her lips. Her eyes were closed, and her fingers moved slowly across the keys as she played. The gentle melody swayed him, drawing The Farmer towards Abby.

He stopped only a few feet in front of her. Several animals were gathered in the bushes and trees nearby - squirrels, rabbits, frogs - but he didn’t pay them any mind and they didn’t pay him any. Abby didn’t notice his approach, continuing to play her song. She went on for a few minutes longer until the last note rung out, high and clear. For several seconds, mother nature herself had stopped to hear the ringing note. Only when the sound faded completely and the rain begin to fall, did Abby open her eyes.

Upon noticing The Farmer, her eyes grew suddenly wider. “Oh, don’t stand out there in the rain. Come under the tree.”

Abby’s voice broke whatever trance had fallen over him. The Farmer blinked several times, feeling very much like he’d been drowning and only just managed to surface. He stepped under the tree next to here, and for a few moments, he struggled to find his voice. Eventually, he managed to say a single word. “Wow.”

He hadn’t spent much time with Abby before. He mostly saw her trio – being Sam and Sebastian – when they hung out in the Saloon on the weekends, playing pool and the old arcade games. He’d spent one afternoon playing Prairie King with her after buying some seeds, but in the end, he always felt they were more of friendly acquaintances than actual friends.

“Oh please, I’m not that great.” Abby rolled her eyes.

“Are you kidding?” The Farmer said. “I’ve never be so, so mesmerized by a flute solo before.”

Abby’s eyebrow peaked up in amusement. “Why Farmer, I never took you as a flute solo enthusiast. How many recitals have you been able to attend with your busy farm work?”

The Farmer grinned, picking up on her playful attitude. “Oh I haven’t been able to attend a single one. It’s a tragedy! But if you were to ever hold one in town here, I’d pay premium to get front row seats.”

A dusting of color touched Abby’s cheeks and she snorted. “Now you’re just making fun of me. What do you even know about music?”

“I did my time. Four years of it in high school orchestra. I’ll have you know I was first seat violin.  I can say with confidence, listing to you play is almost like listening to magic.”

Abby beamed at the compliment, but turned and fidgeted with the bag leaning against the tree instead of responding right away. As she did, The Farmer got a very sudden and brief feeling of regret sink into his stomach. He was probably coming on too strong, like he usually did. He should probably tell her he was gay before she got the wrong idea.

He then noticed something unusual lying next to the backpack. An object he’d not see with Abby before. “So. What’s with the sword?”

“Oh, you mean this bad boy?” Abby snatched the sword and swung it dramatically at The Farmer. The only problem was that the sheath wasn’t properly attached, and the hard leather was launched into the air. The unexpected projectile smashed into him, causing him to stumble backwards and fall on his back.  

“OHMYGOSHIMSOSORRY!” Abby dropped her sword, rushing to The Farmer’s side and helping him sit up.

“I’m okay,” The Farmer spoke through his hand, which was currently clutched over his nose. His nose throbbed and he saw stars dance around him, but at least it wasn’t broken. Probably.

“Agh, I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t have done that!” Abby grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and scowled down at the ground. “Maybe dad’s right. Maybe I’m not ready for this. Maybe I should just go home. This was a stupid idea anyways…”

“Whoa there. What are you talking about? What’s with the spiral of despair? It was just a little accident.”

Abby sighed heavily, dropping her hand to her sides. “I wanna be one of those adventures you read about. Not just make-pretend like in Sebby and Sam’s games. I wanna be one of those people who are out exploring the world and taking on monsters. But… but I’ve even never left the valley before. I don’t know if I’d be cut out for exploring.”

“So why do you have the sword? Going for some sort of training camp in the mountains like an anime protagonist?”

That brought a smile to Abby’s face for at least a second. “I was going to see if I could go into the mines today. My parents don’t want going anywhere near it. My dad especially. I’m not sure why. But,” she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. The Farmer recognized it as one of Mayor Lewis’ notices about culling monsters. “You’re always going into the mines and taking on Lewis’ requests. I thought that I could prove to my parents that I can take care of myself by doing one of the requests. But…”

The Farmer prompted her. “But?”

Abby sighed again. “But whenever I go anywhere near the entrance, I freeze up. I start thinking about what might be down there and my whole body feels like it’s on fire. Playing the flute before I go in helps me calm my nerves. Once I made it down the ladder, but I kept seeing things in the shadows, things that I knew weren’t there. You’re always told that the best way to get over your fears is to face them, but I haven’t been able to even take a single step beyond that ladder for the last year.”

The Farmer regarded her. Her mouth contorted into a frown that was halfway between fear and frustration. Her body shivered, but he knew it wasn’t from the rain. And her eyes, he recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same look he’d seen reflect in the mirrors of the Joja Corp restrooms during break time.

The Farmer stood up, brushing the dirt off of himself. “Well, how about I go with you?”

Abby looked up sharply. “What?”

“Well, everyone has to start somewhere. Even I had Marlon show me the ropes before I attempted anything by myself.”

Abby blinked at him. Then she rubbed her eyes and blinked at him again. “Are you serious?”

The Farmer shrugged. It was honestly a spur of the moment decision, but the look she was giving him made him feel self-conscious, like he’d done more than propose a stupid idea. “Yeah, why not? We can turn this into an actual apprenticeship. If you help me carry ore out of the mine, I’ll teach you the basics of monster combat. Deal?”

Abby stared a little longer, causing his embarrassment to grow with each passing second. Then, she suddenly jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. “Yes!” Abby exclaimed. “Oh my Yoba, yes! It’s a deal! And you promise it won’t just be today? We can do this again?”

The second Abby’s grip lessened, The Farmer pushed her arms-length away. Abby was very touchy apparently. “Yeah, why not? I usually plan to go into the mines whenever rain is in the forecast, so how about I text you whenever I plan to head out?”

“Alright!” Abby let go of The Farmer, then turned towards the lake in the direction of the mines to scream. “Watch out monsters, I’m coming to kick your ass!”

He laughed. “Actual monsters might be a little tough for a beginner. We’ll start off with just the giant insects and bats.”

Abby visibly flinched before slowly turning back to him. “Did you just say giant insects?”

The Farmer nodded solemnly. “Yeah, the first twenty floors or so are full of horsefly’s the size of your head. Not going to back out, are you?”

“N-No, of course not!” Abby’s hand moved instinctively towards the hilt of her sword. “Um, are there a, a lot of them?”

“Well, you know how in video games, if you ever have to go into a cave, it’s always filled with at least twenty giant spiders?”

“Yeah?”

“Well it’s kinda like that. Only twenty times worse because these spiders can fly and there’s twice as many of them.”

The look she gave him made The Farmer imagine Abby was screaming as loud as she could in her head. But, after that she inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and slapped her hands together in prayer. “Okay, I’m fine.” She jumped, shaking out her entire body and jabbing at the air twice. “I’m ready. Let’s go kick some horsefly ass.”

She marched off ahead of The Farmer. He followed, picking up the bag that Abby had forgotten about after mustering her courage. He felt somewhat bad, because in some corner of his mind, a voice told him that he was only doing it to distract himself. Maybe he was, so what? The more time he wasted playing at Master and Apprentice, the less time he had to mope about his silly little boy-crush.

* * *

 

Year: 1

Season: Fall

Day: 11th

* * *

 Alex’s plan was perfect, if he could say so himself. He’d perfectly positioned himself on the west end of the town square, the perfect spot to see when The Farmer would come into town to buy supplies from Pierre’s. Dusty sat obediently at his feet, tail wagging as he eyed the perfect tennis ball in Alex’s hand.

Despite his reassuring talk with Haley last week about just talking to The Farmer and spending some more time with him, Alex found he still didn’t have the courage to just drop by the farm when he wanted to. So instead, he’d staked out Pierre’s – sane people totally stake out the general store – and then he ‘accidentally’ bumped into The Farmer when the other man left carrying his first batch of seeds for the fall season. He had ‘accidentally’ planted the tennis ball in The Farmer’s shopping bags, and then Dusty had ‘accidentally’ torn open the plastic bag to get the ball. And feeling guilty about what his dog did, Alex offered to carry The Farmer’s things for him. While they made small talk, Alex memorized which seeds The Farmer had bought later returned to Pierre’s to figure out which days The Farmer would be returning to buy more seeds.

Now whenever Alex saw The Farmer coming, he’d throw the ball out into the square. It would be in the other man’s direction, but it had to be a subtle throw so that it didn’t look like he was doing it on purpose. Alex had spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out what exactly made a thrown ball look subtle or obvious, and by Yoba did he know how to subtly throw a ball now. This way the ball would roll into The Famer’s path and Dusty, recognizing The Farmer as a friend, would try and get The Farmer to throw it next. Then Alex could run over, nonchalant and apologize for his dog’s over-friendliness. And, being the animal lover that Alex had discovered The Farmer to be, The Farmer would spend some time playing with Dusty, and by extension, spend time talking with Alex. Dog truly was man’s best friend.

And it totally wasn’t weird for The Farmer to run into Alex _every_ time he came to buy seeds. Alex lived here, outside the general store, in the town square. Yep, totally normal.

Dusty barked, pulling Alex out of his minds inner working. Dusty had taken off, without the ball to prompt him, and was chasing after The Farmer. This wasn’t according to plan, it was barely even eight-thirty. Pierre’s wouldn’t be open for a while.

The Farmer wasn’t so much walking as he was storming through the square. He wasn’t quite running, but he was certainly in a hurry. Each footstep was heavy and vindictive. Alex could almost see dark storm clouds swirling around The Farmer’s head and the lightning flash from his eyes. His hands were in tight fists at his sides, one of them clutching as a bundle of papers.

The Farmer didn’t even stop for Dusty. The old dog trotted over to him, barking happily as he followed at The Farmer’s side. But after The Farmer charged right past Pierre’s front door, Dusty stopped, tilting his head and watched The Farmer continue on. When Alex caught up with Dusty, the dog whined and looked at him, wondering what he had done wrong.

“It’s okay boy,” Alex said, rubbing Dusty’s face affectionately. “He must have something important to do.”

Alex a small pang of pain in his chest, but it disappeared the second he saw The Farmer march through Joja Mart’s front doors. The pain was instantly replaced with concern. He hadn’t exactly been to the town’s chapel recently, nor had he ever seriously studied Yoba’s holy but, but he was pretty certain that one sign of the apocalypse was The Farmer walk willingly into Joja Mart.

After quickly tying Dusty back up outside his house, Alex ran across the bridge and stepped through the front doors. The sliding automatic door greeted him with the sound of The Farmer chewing out Shane.

“I know Morris is here,” The Farmer yelled. “Tell that conniving, bottom-feeding gremlin to bring his sorry pale ass out here right now!”

Shane held his hands up in front of him. His sleep-deprived expression said that he really didn’t care for the situation. The Farmer had drawn a small crowd, Alex recognized a few of the villagers – Jodi and Robin were whispering to each other – but there were also a good number of out-of-towners.

“Hey, can’t you lower your voice a little?” Shane pleaded. “I know you’re upset but Morris just got in. He has a pretty strict rule that says we have to leave him alone so he can do thirty minutes of morning yoga.”

The Farmer scowled, foot tapping irately against the floor. “Then tell him I wanna sign up for a membership. That otta get him out here.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Shane sighed, dropping his hands. He sighed, then under his breath, “It’s too early for this shit.”

As Shane walked towards the back, Alex tried to make himself inconspicuous and blending in with an endcap filled with cheap box candy, making sure to stay out of The Farmer’s sight for now. 

Alex saw the bow tie before he saw Morris. The Farmer was right, it stuck out like a small pair of devil horns. Only they grew from his neck. The corners of Morris lips touched his ears and his impossibly-pearl white teeth were visibly. He threw his arms open while approaching The Farmer. “My good friend! I’m glad to see you’ve finally come to see all the benefits of being a rewards member can bring you.”

The second before Morris could actually embrace the other man, The Farmer sidestepped, and Morris fumbled and instead embraced a cash register.

“I’m sorry, Morris. But I’m actually here to talk about something else.” The Farmer presented the papers he was clutching to Morris. “Do you care to explain what this is?”

Releasing the register, Morris took a moment to dust himself off and adjust his bow tie, covering the time with an awkward, throat-clearing cough. Pushing his glasses back, Morris leaned in to examine the crumpled paper. “It appears to be a bill, my dear farmer.”

“A bill,” The Farmer repeated. “And what, may I ask, does Joja Corp have to bill me for?”

“I believe a breakdown was included when you were mailed the bill.”

“Well, Morris,” The Farmer threw his voice off a bit and added an exaggerated accent, “I’m just a dumb ol’ country hick farmer, so why don’t ya explain it for me? These big city words just go right over my head.”

Morris coughed once again, eyeing the crowd that had gathered around him. Alex felt the sudden need to be hidden when Morris’ eyes fell on him, but there was no recognition in the gremlin’s eyes. “Why don’t we continue this back in my office?” Morris proposed in a voice with a thinning patience. “I’d be more than happy to explain in full detail over cups of coffee.”

The Farmer crossed his arms across his chest, shifted his weight to one side, and began tapping his other foot. “Here is just fine.”

Morris paused, staring down The Farmer as he collected himself. Then he smiled at the crowd and threw open his hands. “As I’m sure you all are aware, we at Joja Mart strive to bring our customers the lowest prices possible.”

“Yeah, by demanding unreasonable prices from your suppliers, like me,” The Farmer interjected. “I buy bok choy seeds for sixty-two gold, and you buy and entire bundle at seventy gold, meaning you value my labor at eight gold.”

There were some whispers shared among the crowd. Morris gave another awkward, throat-clearing cough before continuing. “In order to keep our prices low, we only buy when the product is offered at lower prices. You, my dear farmer, have a special case. You are enlisting our service to ship crops to our warehouses in the city.”

“Because you won’t buy and sell them at this location.”

“Our facilities here were built before your business was set up, and thus we are not equipped to provide that service. Now, as I was saying, your bill is the cost to ship your crops into the city. Due to rising gas prices and maintenance on our vehicles, it currently costs more to ship your crop into the city than what we’re buying them at.”

“This bill dates back to the beginning of summer, Morris. Are you trying to say I’ve been paying you to take my crops this entire time?”

“I believe the term you’re looking for is negative profit.”

The Farmer rushed Morris, cries of fright rang up from people in the crowd. The bill was dropped so The Farmer could instead take fistfuls of Morris’ black suit. “Then why the hell didn’t you just walk up to my door and collect the money? You wait two whole damn months and now you’re trying to charge me nearly fifteen thousand gold for giving you my crops!”

Morris kept a calm face. “Lewis continued to leave your crops for us. We assumed you knew. Joja is a very large company, my dear farmer, so please understand that it takes time to deliver a personalized experience to each person and you are treated with the same professionalism that our other suppliers are. For that reason, we have set up all billing to take place on monthly cycles, for your convenience.”

The corner of Morris’ mouth twitched. For a moment, Alex saw the mask of the perfect sales associate break and reveal the face of the money-grubbing gremlin that The Farmer always called him out to be. “However,” Morris continued, “that particular department is currently short-staffed, due to unforeseen staffing issues. We ask for you understanding in this issue. I’m sure we can get those late fees waved for you.”

“You’re out of your mind,” The Farmer snarled, “if you believe I’d pay any of this ‘negative profit’ that you think I owe.”

“Oh, but don’t think of it as a negative profit, my dear farmer!” Morris chimed. “Your crops are out there and consumers will know your crops came from this region. If they like it, they will continue to buy it. So, think of it as an investment. An investment in exposure!”

The Farmer’s right arm snapped back, white-knuckled fist ready to make a permanent, painful mark on Morris’ face. Before his right hook could connect, Alex caught The Farmer’s wrist in his hand. That was when Alex had realized he’d moved at all in the first place.

As The Farmer shouted, Alex’s whole body trembled. Watching the scene play out, a vague feeling of recognition had washed over him. He knew this was bad. The shouting, the issues about money, this was very bad. He had to do something, but what? Could he even do anything?

The moment The Farmer had moved to punch Morris, time had stopped for Alex. Several outcomes played out around him simultaneously, like he was watching ten movies at once, and he didn’t like how any of them ended. The only thing he knew was that he wanted to be with The Farmer right now. If he was with the other man, even just physically near, he could do something, right?

Even if this did turn out, worst-case scenario and a fistfight broke out in Joja Mart, of course he was going to jump in on The Farmer’s side. Heck, he was pretty confident in their abilities to take on Mayor Lewis, the only law enforcement figure in town. But, something deep inside him knew that if the punch connected, something would change.

Back in the present, The Farmer released the grip he had on Morris and spun. He threw a second fist, only knowing that whoever stopped him was also an enemy. Alex caught the second fist easily, and then locked eyes with The Farmer.

They were burning.

Anger, hatred, rage, and fear; they all burned with the intensity of a forest fire in his eyes. Seeing these emotions in the eyes Alex had only ever seen kindness and hope, it ignited the store around him. It felt that Joja was burning to the ground, and they were trapped inside, choking silently on the smoke and unable to look away from each other.

That breath-stopping intensity vanished from The Farmer’s eyes the second realization washed over him. Staring at Alex, his mouth dropped open and the strength went out of his body. Shame overtook him and colored his face for what he’d done. What Alex had seen him do.

“A-Alex.” The Farmer stumbled over his words, his arms dropping down to his sides.  “I…What are you?”

Pulling himself off the floor, Morris straightened his jacket. His smile had dropped from his face. He almost looked disappointed. “Is there a problem here, gentlemen?”

“No,” Alex said firmly. He grabbed The Farmer’s hand and pulled the man towards the front door. “We’re leaving.”

Alex didn’t look back as the automatic doors closed behind them. The Farmer put up no resistance as Alex pulled him along. His head hung low and a cloud of despair surrounded him. “I- “

“You don’t need to say anything,” Alex cut him off. His previous doubts about his feelings for the other man were thrown to the wind. “I think I know exactly what you need right now.”

* * *

 

Blue perched itself atop a rotting chair in the center of the arts n’ crafts room. Behind it, the wall glowed slightly, still infused with Red’s magic. The other Junimos gathered around Blue, sitting atop makeshift seating. Some held cans of soda or bowls of popcorn, probably stolen from the villagers. “Now I think we’re all in agreeance,” Blue addressed the other Junimos, “when we say that the best reaction belongs to The Chicken Man.”

“Play it again!” Orange shouted. The other creatures also shouted in agreement.

“Green?” Blue prompted.

Green jumped onto the chair next to Blue. It summoned a small ball of green light to its hands, then threw it at the wall. The wall shimmered and went out of focus until an image of The Ranchers home appeared. The view was from the forest floor behind the house, Green’s point of view.

The sky overhead was pitch black, not a single star or even the moon to light the night. Green ran towards the home, making its way to the windowsill with the light still on. Peering inside, The Mayor and The Rancher were visible.

The Mayor was on his hands and knees, tears in his eyes. “Oh Marnie! Sweet, merciful goddess Marnie. Take pity on me,” he proclaimed. He dropped his forehead against the floorboards at The Ranchers feet.

The Rancher sighed heavily. Both of her hands massaged her temples thoroughly. “Lewis, I let you in because I thought we were going to talk. But for the last ten minutes you’ve done nothing but cry at my feet. Will you please stand up?”

“I’m not worthy to stand in your presence!” The Mayor wailed.

The Rancher huffed in annoyance and reached down to take The Mayor by his collar and hoisted him into the air. His sobbing abruptly cut off as The Rancher pulled him nose to nose with herself. “Alright Lewis. Since you’re not going to do any talking, you’ll listen. And you’ll listen good. We are grown adults, not a couple of teenagers keeping secrets from their parents. I’m sick and tired of fooling around in the bushes around town. I want to be public about our relationship. Are you able to do that?”

The Mayor’s mouth open and shut stupidly several times before he could summon up a response. “Y-You know I want to Marnie. But the other business owners, what would they, Ack! “

The Mayor was cut off as The Rancher dropped him to the floor. “That’s what I thought.”  She walked across the room, pulling a coat from her closet.

The Mayor scrambled after her on his hands and knees. “W-Where are you going?”

“For a walk.” The Rancher said. “It’s a beautiful night, so I think a walk through the mountains will do me good. Who knows, I might even pay The Adventurer’s guild a visit and see how those two gentlemen up there are doing. I trust you can show yourself out.”

The Mayor grabbed at her coattails. “But Marnie!”

The Rancher cast a cold gaze on him. “I’ve castrated enough livestock to know a fixed bull when I see one. I guess it's just time to send this one out to market.” She turned away and walked out of the room, leaving The Mayor frozen on her bedroom floor.

Back in the Community Center, the Junimos roared with laughter. The screen’s image moved around as Green attempted to reach the next windowsill. Before the image could play out further, Red and White entered the room.

“Hey!” Red cried out. “What do you all think you’re doing?”

“Red!” Blue’s voice cracked. Orange and Green both launched themselves at the wall, slapping it frantically while attempting to hide their deeds. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked you first.”

“I asked you second.”

“Enough!” White yelled. “You all know better than this. Using this wall is a drain on Red’s powers. It should only be employed when absolutely necessary.”

“But we were using it for, er, important reasons.” Blue said.

Orange and Green had somehow managed to change the wall back to its previous state of being a collection of portraits for the villagers. “Yeah, yeah,” Orange offered. “We were checking up on The Athlete and The Farmer.”

“Yeah!” Green pointed up at the screen. “We know they’re together right now. We just wanted to make sure nothing bad is happening!”

Green jumped up, touching the portrait of The Athlete. However, at the exact same moment, a small piece of the ceiling broke free. The rubble, located directly over Red, clocked the Junimo in the middle of its head.

Meanwhile, the image on the wall shimmered, coming into focus much slower than usual. What appeared was grainy, like they were watching satellite tv during a storm. Images and sounds flickered in an out. What did come through consistently, was heavy, labored breathing. It was accompanied by a rhythmic beating.

Through the grain, they got an image from the corner of an unknown room. In it were discarded articles of clothing; a green and yellow letterman jacket, a green-blue plaid shirt stained with dirt, and an old azure bandana.

The image flickered again, and The Athlete’s sweat-soaked face appeared. He was pressed against something, hard, eyes screwed shut. The image flickered yet again, returning to the pile of clothing. This time, The Famer’s labored voice came through.

“-a little longer…”

“Oh, my head is pounding,” Red moaned.

White snatched up a nearby piece of wood and immediately punted Red outside the window. The sounds and images on the wall cut out, and the arts and crafts room was kid-friendly once again. “You all have work to do!” White shouted. “None of this! None of this foolishness!”

“But what was that?” Orange asked. “It looked like what The Mayor and- “

White crossed the room in an instant, also punting Orange out the window. “Anyone else have any questions!?”

The Junimos scattered. 

* * *

 

“TAKE THAT YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!”

Alex was thrown onto his back, landing on the padded floor of the Spa’s workout room. The walls were covered in mirrors on three sides and various weight-lifting machines filled the room. The punching bag swung back and forth violently until The Farmer caught it. “Sorry,” The Farmer panted, looking down at Alex as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of the boxing gloves. “I didn’t think I had that much strength in me.”

“Oh no,” Alex panted. He spread out his arms and legs, big grin on his face. “I knew you were that strong. I just wasn’t prepared for all that pent-up anger you had.”

The Farmer sat down cross-legged next to Alex. “Yoba, I never knew beating up a bag of sand could ever feel so good.”

“Hey, a good workout can do that for you.”

The Farmer laughed. “I can already tell everything is gonna be sore tomorrow, but man I see why you enjoy doing this so much. Thanks for bringing me up here and loaning me some of your gym clothes.”

Alex lifted his arm to give him a thumbs up gesture. “Anytime bro.”

“You know, I’m kinda surprised you had these,” The Farmer lifted his hands, a gesture to the boxing gloves. “Never took you as the boxing type of guy.”

“Oh, they’re not mine. They’ve been here since I started working out here in high school.”

A very horrified but disgusted look overcame The Farmer’s face. At the same time, he slowly moved the gloves towards Alex. “Please help me get them off. Now.”

Alex sat up, a smile on his face. He tried to think of a witty response as he undid the gloves lacing and velcro but couldn’t. At the same time, he didn’t feel as if he needed to say anything. His stomach fluttered happily while looking at The Farmer. It wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he had concocted his master plan, but they were spending time together. And he was enjoying it. That’s what’s important, regardless of whatever he felt for The Farmer.

Plus, a little selfishly, Alex felt happy that he’d helped The Farmer work through something. Well, at least partially. The Farmer was much calmer now than he was hour ago. He’d still jump into a fistfight at The Farmer’s side, but it was probably better for everyone they didn’t actually reach the fistfight stage.

The Farmer pushed back his bangs and pulled up the collar of his borrowed tank top to wipe the sweat from it. The scar immediately caught Alex’s eye, just like that night at the beach. Under the glow of the florescent bulbs, it was obviously a deep one. It was almost in the shape of an oval crescent, running just above his left eyebrow and about an inch into his hairline.

The Farmer must have noticed him staring at it, because he brought his right hand up to play with his hair, pushing his bangs back down over the scar. “What?”

Alex set the gloves between them, giving him a moment to think about how to address the elephant in the room. “Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened with Morris?” He let his voice trail off at the end, keeping his eyes mostly on the gloves as he asked.  An attempt to come off as nonchalant. When The Farmer’s expression mellowed, Alex quickly added, “But it’s totally cool if you don’t want to! But, um, I just want you to know that I’m here if you want to talk. Or anything like that.”

The Farmer sighed. “No, I shouldn’t pretend it didn’t happen. And you’re the last person I wanted to see me like that.”

“Why?”

The Farmer looked down at his hands. “I was dumb and acting rashly. I was just, just so frustrated that I couldn’t think straight. I genuinely thought that if I could clobber Morris, everything would be better.” The Farmer clenched his hand together into a fist. “But those emotions are stupid and ugly.”

“Well…as my grandpa says, ugly emotions are in everyone.” He gave a half-smile. “That’s what makes us human.”

The Farmer returned the smile after a moment, but it fell off his face right away. “I was actually most frustrated at myself. I realized I was naïve in thinking that a multi-billion gold corporation wasn’t gonna try and fuck me over.”

“You said you owe them money for them taking your crops, right?” Alex regretted his words when he saw the despair of his words cause The Farmer’s shoulders slump. “That hardly seems right. Can’t you fight them in court or something?”

“That involves money and time that I don’t have. Plus, if I lose I’m sure they’d slap on a ton of late fees and I’d just end up having to pay them triple.” The Farmer frowned. “I’ve seen first-hand the kind of defense team Joja Corp has at their disposal. Any time someone tries to voice a complain, they can pull imaginary fine print through some loophole in the contract that can shut down any rebuttal. I’m a single, first-time, small-time business owner. I’d get destroyed.”

“You really can’t do anything?”

“Nope. Just gotta bend over and pay them the money while Joja has their fun.”

Alex bit the inside of his cheek before he spoke next. “Hey, if you need some mon- “

The Farmer silenced Alex by chucking one of the gloves into his face. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence Alex.” The embers in his eyes threatened to burn with similar intensity to before. “It’s true my budget is gonna be tighter for a while. But this was my own oversight. I’m not going to burden other people over it.”

“But- “

“No buts.” The Farmer said sternly.

After moment, Alex nodded. The Farmer seemed satisfied and stood up. Alex knew this was probably better. Sure, he had some money saved up, but how much could he really help? Logically, he knew he didn’t have an obligation to help out, but still…

_I’ll take care of you. Always._

Alex looked up at The Farmer, who stared back down at him. “What?” Alex asked.

“I asked if you were coming with.”

“Where?”

The Farmer pulled his tank top off, breathing a sigh of relief after removing it. “I can’t sit around wearing sweat soaked clothing anymore. I am in desperate need of a shower. I asked if you were coming with.”

The second the tank top came off, Alex realized the lightness in his stomach was because it has become the nesting ground for thousands of butterflies. He mentally kicked himself for not taking previous notice of how The Farmer looked in his gym clothes. The shirt had been slightly too small for The Farmer, and the shorts were and old pair, also slightly too small for him.

Alex jumped up, turning his back to The Farmer. “A-Actually, I’m going to lift some weights! I never really got the chance to work up a sweat myself, you know?”

“Oh, do you want me to come back and spot you?”

“I’m fine,” Alex gave an award thumbs up over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later!”

The Farmer lingered for a moment. “Well, okay. See you later Alex.”

Alex listened to him go without moving. When the footsteps faded, Alex released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Okay, calm down,” he muttered to himself. “This is stupid. You’ve been in the baths with him before for Yoba’s sake. He’s seen you naked before!”

The sound of running water reached Alex’s ears, and he was overcome with several realizations in that moment. One, a major design flaw in the spa was that none of the rooms beyond the men’s locker room had any doors on them until you reached the hot springs below. Two, the showers were only one room down. Three, they were the only people here. And four, he’d never seen The Farmer naked.

Alex had to sit down on one of the weight machines. He put his forehead in his hands, eyes very wide and very serious as he tried to not imagine the water running down The Farmer’s body and across his-

“Holy hell,” Alex swore softly. Sure, he may have told Haley before that he’d always thought both men and women could be attractive, but this was this first time his body ever reacted so physically to thinking about another man’s body. He stood up and wandered the room, having nowhere else he could really go. He needed something, some distraction. He wished he had his phone to play some music, just anything to drown out the sounds coming from down the hall, but his phone was back in the changing room. He’d need to walk through the showers to reach it.

With nothing left to do, Alex walked into the mirrored wall and gently placed his forehead against the glass. His reflection stared directly back at him.  “I really do like him, don’t I?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told ya'll this was a self-discovery fic, didn't I? Alex certainly is discovering something about himself in this chapter ;P
> 
> If you follow my tumblr, you probably have seen me complaining about work and that I'm moving soon. I'll try and not go too long without another update, but these next few weeks are going to be hectic for me. I hope you can still enjoy the next update when it comes!


	12. A Perplexing Haiku

Year: 1

Season: Fall

Date: 16th

* * *

 

 

The Farmer glared up the wooden strongman, the current bane of his existence. It taunted him, flexing massive biceps while flashing a cartoonish grin. Below the strongman was an electronic sign, reading the current high score of 686. 686 wasn’t _that_ high. He could totally beat that. He spun the oversized mallet in his hands, trying to psych himself up.

“I don’t know why you’re trying,” Alex taunted. “I set the record every year. And no one’s ever come close to beating it.” He and Haley leaned against a nearby fence. Alex had shed his jacket and tied it around his waist. Haley had her camera on its strap and hanging around her neck, ready to snap a picture at any moment.

“Don’t listen to him,” Haley said. “He’s just got an over-inflated ego.”

“Then I guess I gotta pop that ego, huh?” The Farmer flashed a sly grin.

“We’ll see about that.” Alex gave a grin equally sly, just oozing with confidence. The Farmer had half a mind to smash the mallet into Alex’s face instead. It was infuriating just how much more attractive confidence made Alex look.

“Hey!”

The Farmer froze, praying to Yoba that no one hear the soft voice come from the hood of his sweatshirt. He felt Red shuffle around in there, getting as close to his ear as it could without revealing itself. The spirit had woken him up at the crack of dawn this morning, asking if it could tag along for the Stardew Valley Fair. Luckily, he had a hoodie buried deep in his closet from his closeted days.  It was two sizes too big, just so he had a place to hide in during his bad days. Red immediately took up residence in the hood and proceeded to question every action The Farmer took that morning during his usual chores.

“I can help you.” Red whispered.

The Farmer muttered under his breath, moving his lips as little as possible. “How?”

“You just swing. Leave the rest to me. I’ll make sure you break this machine!”

“That’s not the point of the game! Just help me beat Alex’s score, but don’t make it too high. And you better not try anything stupid, or I’ll-”

“You gonna swing or what?” The man running the attraction said.

The Farmer jumped nearly a mile high. “Y-Yeah! Just pumping myself up mentally, you know?”

The man shrugged. “Whatever. Just don’t keep the other customers waiting.”

The Farmer looked behind himself, seeing there was nobody standing in line. He half wondered if this guy had any relation to The Wizard. “Okay…”

“Just swing it already. Or don’t, I won’t judge.” Alex jested. “It’s not like you could ever break my record.”

The Farmer ignored him, twirling the mallet one more time in his hands. He took a deep, steady breath, then hoisted it above his head. With all his strength, he drove it down, into the target. The lights on the machine flashed on and off rapidly, and the red lines on the electronic monitor flickered randomly as it calculated his score.

When the first number clocked in at a six, The Farmer couldn’t believe his eyes. When the second number came in as an eight, the smile fell off of Alex’s face. And finally, when the last number slowly counted up and stopped on seven, Haley snapped a picture.

The lights on the machine went wild again, and the score of 687 flashed repeatedly. “Congratulations,” the attendant said in a monotone voice. “You’ve set a new high score. Enjoy your Star Tokens.”

The Farmer smiled over at Alex as he returned the mallet to the attendant and pocketed his tokens. “What do you think of that, Mr. High Score?”

“Hold up. I want another go.” Alex walked over to the attendant, shoving the money at him and taking the wooden mallet. Without any hesitation, Alex struck the target. The lights lit up again, and three new numbers filled the ‘High Score’ box on the machine.

“Huh. Six eighty-eight.” The Farmer read, actually impressed. He was pretty sure he straight up cheated, but Alex managed to pull off a new score like nothing.

Alex hoisted the mallet high overhead with both hands, like he was offering it as a gift to Yoba. “Ha! I told you, Alex always set the high score. I bet you can’t beat that.”

“Alex honey,” Haley called, “You’re referring to yourself in the third person. Again.”

The Farmer cocked an eyebrow before he pulled the money for another round out of his pocket. The attendant – now reading a book titled _What to do When You’re an Inconsequential Background Character –_ took the money. The Farmer said, “Arrogance is unbecoming of you Alex. I think getting your butt kicked will be good for your ego.”

“Oh yeah? Well you’re just being a sore loser, and I’d say that’s unbecoming of _you_.”

That grin Alex gave him as he handed The Farmer the mallet sent a jolt of joy down his spine. Yoba, did he want to kiss that other man right now. He half-smiled as he turned to the target. Maybe he should. It’d certainly throw Alex off his game.

The Farmer twirled the mallet in his hands. He could feel Red pressed up against his back. He swung hard. Then, when his score clocked in at 689, he handed the mallet back to Alex. He tried his best to kept a straight face, but it was insanely hard to. Alex was squinting up at the numbers and his mouth was hanging open like he didn’t believe what he was reading. “But Alex,” The Farmer said as innocently as he could, “I haven’t lost.”

Alex’s gaze immediately snapped toward The Farmer. That small twitch of annoyance in his expression filled The Farmer with a sense of smug accomplishment. It wasn’t often he could best Alex at something physical. Sure, he was cheating, but Alex was usually just a ball of confidence and smooth one-liners. It was nice to know he could get worked up about stuff too.

Alex snatched the hammer from The Farmer and tossed money to the attendant, who caught it mid-air without looking up. “So, you want a contest of strength, huh?”

“I’m confident in my abilities.” The Farmer said. He heard a snicker from Red at that remark.

Alex swung the mallet, this time with a cry of confidence. The electronic sign clocked in at 699. Alex shot The Farmer a smile—a silent dare to try and beat his score again. The Farmer handed his money off and took the mallet. He noted the slightest hint of fear flicker across Alex’s face.

This time The Farmer decided to make a little show of his attempt. He placed the mallet at his feet and did a little stretching; making sure to exaggerate his movements. Just for the heck of it, he struck a yoga pose.

“Just swing already!” Alex yelled.

The Farmer smiled, then clasped his hands together. “Oh, merciful Yoba,” he said aloud. “I dedicate my victory to you.” He picked up the mallet, waited a moment, then swung.

“Smile!” Haley called.

The Farmer spun and gave Haley a ‘V-for-victory’ hand sign as she snapped the picture. This time, Alex said nothing as he threw more money at the attendant.

Alex took the hammer, swung, and generated a score of 712. The Farmer then went again and scored 713. This charade repeated for a while. Alex would best the high score, followed immediately by The Farmer beating that score by a single digit. By the time they had reached 750, a small crowd had gathered to watch. By 800, Alex dropped his jacket on the ground, then stripped off his sweaty undershirt and added it to the pile. Meanwhile, The Farmer, thanks to Red’s magic, hadn’t even broken a sweat. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit to enjoying the front and center show of Alex’s muscled back whenever the man swung the mallet.

When the score reached 900, Penny had wandered over and spoke with Haley. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, the usual,” Haley said while taking another picture. “Just a couple of men being idiots.”

When The Farmer scored 989, he was genuinely impressed with Alex. He was cheating, but Alex was managing to still break his scores with every swing. Meaning Alex was technically breaking his own scores. So that justified the cheating, right? He was pushing Alex to be a better person by making him think he had someone to beat.

He handed the Mallet over. “Getting tired yet?”

Alex wiped the sweat from his forehead, only a little short-breathed when he answered. “Not a chance.”

Alex swung again. The scoreboard flickered until it displayed 999. The gathered crowd burst into applause, adding to the excitement from the bells and whistles on the strongman machine. Alex cried triumphantly, hoisting the mallet into the air with one arm. That only lasted for a brief second, as in the next his arms dropped to his sides and he fell onto his back.

“My arms are literally burning,” he whined, then glanced over at the other man. “How the hell are you not sweating?”

The Farmer walked over and knelt down next to Alex, smile on his face. “I spend every day and all day working in the sun. This is nothing.”

Alex laughed once. “Nothing? Then I suppose you’re gonna swing again?”

“Mmm, actually I think I’ll concede this victory to you.” The Farmer took the liberty of brushing Alex’s bangs out of the way. His heart fluttered at the touch. If he hadn’t been too focused on settling it, he’d probably have noticed the red blush that touched Alex’s cheeks. “You wanna do some other stuff instead?”

“Sure.” Alex, coughed, looking away. He attempted to sit up but fell back down after rising only a few inches. “How about once I regain feeling in my upper body first?”

 

* * *

 

After Alex was able to utilize his arms again, the first stop for the trio was the concession stands. While the main square in Pelican Town had been filled with picnic tables and various game booths circled the square, the true attraction of any fair was the food. There must have been at least a hundred different tents filling the town. Amazingly, each one was serving something unique. There was the usual fair food: hot-dogs, fries, funnel cakes—but a few caught The Farmer’s attention.

“How in the world does spaghetti-on-a-stick work?” he asked.

“Maybe they wrap it up like cotton candy?” Alex suggested. “What do you think attack sushi is?”

“Maybe it’s just fancy wording for spicy fish?” Haley said.

They paused for a moment to watch a man walking up to the attack sushi booth. After he paid, the woman behind the counter pulled a live fish out of the water tank behind her and slapped the man with it. She then replaced the fish and thanked the man for his purchase.

The trio kept walking.

After a while, they made the plan to split up, get a little bit of everything, and then pick at each other’s food back at the main square. As The Farmer did his bit of wandering, he noticed a few villagers were running stalls of their own. Gunther had a ‘Tastes from Around the World’ stall that honestly looked like a bunch of deep-fried bugs. Marlon’s was called ‘Monster Delectable’ which was just different vegetables trapped in slime-goo. Even Gus had an impressive number of barbeques set up near the fountain. Watching him flip the burgers and corn on the cob so expertly made The Farmer feel like he was watching a dance.

After he managed to pick up a little of everything—some of Gus’s grilled corn, BBQ & Cheese Pork Fries, Meat Sampler Kababs, and Chocolate Funnel Cakes—The Farmer made his way back to the main square. He found Alex and Haley immediately. The duo was surrounded by food, at least three times as much as The Farmer had brought. Haley seemed to have stopped at every deep-fried food stand there was. She had deep-fried pickles, chicken, pig’s ears, twinkies, ice-cream, and even an abomination that he recognized from the deep-fried lemonade stand. Alex was no better, his pile consisted of at least ten burgers with various toppings and sauces, an entire tray with at least thirty hot-dogs, and every variation of the potato known to man. Between the both of them sat an oversized and overflowing tub of chocolate chips cookies. The tub read “ _Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar_ ” and had a chocolate chip cookie wearing a red bow on the front.

The Farmer sat down across from them, fascination on his face as he watched Alex inhale three hot dogs in a single breath. “How in the world are either of you still alive at this point?”

Haley belched.

“This is a fair,” Alex said. “Have you seen the food here? This is literally the ultimate cheat day. “C’mon, give in to the deep-fried deliciousness.” He held out a deep-fried pickle on a stick to The Farmer.

While they ate and talked, The Farmer was pretty sure that the occasional, small blur of color he’d sometimes spot in the corner of his eye were the rest of the Junimos. Like the family dog, they were ready to snatch up anything you took your eye off—he had noticed portions of his table suddenly missing. The Farmer did his best to ignore the magical food snatchers. It was probably thanks to them that people here didn’t die from the deep-fried deliciousness, as Alex put it.

After they’d finished eating and talked for a bit, the group continued to make their rounds through the other gaming booths. The Farmer won the fishing contests—afterwards, he realized that both Haley and Alex had the same exact pout. Alex lost most of his stars to the Wheel of Fortune—impressively guessing wrong 90 percent of the time. Then came sharp-shooting with the slingshot. Alex was a good shot, but The Farmer had plenty of practice with Abby in pelting monsters with cherry bombs in the mines.

“Oh, would you look at,” The Farmer said after the buzzer rang. He flashed a smile at the other man as he walked back towards him. “We tied Alex.”

Alex cocked an eyebrow, half-grin on his face. “You know, that might have actually amazed me. I mean, if I hadn’t had my handicap that is.”

“Handicap? Are you telling me you’re holding back?”

“Not of my own volition. My arms are still killing me from kicking your butt in the strong man contest. Plus, I carried half your stuff in for the Grange Display. I think I deserve a little empathy.”

“Aw, does the big strong man need to take a break?”

“This big strong man thinks he can take down your high score in no time flat.”

“Oh really? Then tell you what, whoever concedes defeat has to buy the winner whatever they want from the food stalls for the rest of the night.”

“You’re on, farm boy.”

Unseen by either man, Haley rolled her eyes. She was starting to feel slightly annoyed at being the third wheel. But, the silver lining to the mushy conversation between Alex and The Farmer was that Alex probably had a chance. During their conversation nearly two weeks ago, Alex had been so unsure and wrought with anxiety. But seeing them now, well, it was kinda obvious how they felt about each other. At least to her.

 While the two men had their little ego-match, she stepped up and paid the attendant. She raised her slingshot, and the starting buzzer rang. Target after target shattered; there was a simple rhythm to it that she quickly fell into. Once her time was up, she knew she didn’t even need to look at her score. She flipped her hair as she turned around, finding both The Farmer and Alex slack-jawed while watching her collect her star tokens.

The two words out of The Farmer’s mouth were spoken so softly, it could have been mistaken for words of prayer. “Holy shit.”

“How,” Alex stumbled over his words, “When did, how are you—I, I don’t.”

Haley reveled in their reactions. As smugly as she could, she walked between the two of them and sat down on the nearest bench. She crossed one leg over the other, and daintily cupped her cheek in one hand. “Oh boys, if you ever want to have a shot in photography, you’ve got to have a good eye and fast reflexes. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a decent picture when the wildlife tries to flee the second they see you? Now, I believe there was some talk of a reward for the winner?” Haley’s smile grew wider. “Unless you think you can beat me?”

Alex and The Farmer exchanged a look.

“You win,” they said in unison.

“Good. Now I could really go for some deep-fried cookies. Farmer, would you be a doll?”

The Farmer gave a single, dry laugh before he turned and left. “Guess I’m eating my own words, aren’t I?”

Alex watched him dive into the colorful array of food tents. There was a deep sigh from Haley behind him. “Alex, stop acting like a love-sick puppy and come sit next to me.”

“Hey!” Alex quickly snapped his head around, making sure they weren’t overheard. “What if someone heard you?”

Haley waved him off. “Alex, my dear, sweet, innocent friend. I’m going to spell this out for you in a way that even you will understand. So please,” she patted the spot on the bench next to her, “Have a seat.”

Alex regarded the bench with an expression of concern. Haley’s innocent smile frightened him. Sure, she seemed harmless, but the smile that touched her lips was stretched just a tad too far. Behind the big eyes and long eyelashes, he saw storm clouds.

“Sit.”

The autumn air was chilly, but the way Haley’s voice sounded froze the air in an instant. Alex sat down immediately.

“Good,” Haley placed an arm around his shoulder. Alex now knew what it would be like for a fly to be caught in a spider’s web. “Now, I know we haven’t talked much about The Farmer since our discussion, but the distinction I got from that little chat was that you had absolutely no idea what his feelings toward you were.”

Alex slowly nodded. “I don’t, I wasn’t sure.”

Suddenly, Haley had both hands gripped in tuffs of his hair. Alex found himself staring down with a Haley with strained eyes and a very tight smile. “You. Dense. Bag. Of. Bricks.”

Alex’s voice squeaked. “What?”

Haley’s apparent rage grew with every word. And with every word she got closer, and Alex feared she was going to bite down on his neck and rip his throat out. “HE. FUCKING. LIKES. YOU.”

Haley released him with a groan of frustration. Alex clutched his chest, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage, screaming to flee.

Haley continued. “If I have to listen to the two of you flirt any more, I’m putting on a black dress and I’m gonna lay myself down on the train tracks.”

“We’re not flirting.”

“Oh!” Haley gave him a look of exaggerated surprise. “You’re not? Could have fooled me with the ‘Big strong man’ line.”

Alex’s mouth opened and closed, failing to think of anything for a defense before Haley continued.

“And that nickname, ‘Farm Boy,’ you drop it every chance you get, and he blushes like crazy when you say it. And don’t get me started on the touching.”

Alex’s face lit up at that point. “We’re not-!”

“You are.” Haley said firmly. “You two bumped arms so much when we were walking around I’m surprised you weren’t holding hands yet. You’re practically rubbing against him like a dog in heat every second you got the chance. And how did you not get anything from him caressing you face after the strong man contest?”

“He didn’t caress it!”

Haley rolled her eyes. “Sure he didn’t.” Alex opened his mouth to object, but Haley put a finger to his lips to silence him. “Look, I’m trying to not get involved in your guy’s friendship, relationship, whatever. But I’m just going to say that tonight would be a great night to broach the subject. You’ve both been having fun and I’m basically a third wheel on your date. So just give me the word, and I’ll give you two some alone time. Alright?”

 

* * *

 

“Let’s stop there!” Red said excitedly, pointing out a milk bar they were passing. “They’ve got chocolate milk!”

The Farmer pushed the Junimo back into his hood, careful to not drop the pail of deep-fried diabetes he cradled in his arms. He half-hoped nobody saw the tiny spirit, but at the same time, Red had jumped out of hiding so many times The Farmer was certain someone had already spotted it. Red wanted to stop at every food stall and wanted to play every game. It was like The Farmer had adopted a five-year-old child.

“Chocolate milk isn’t that special,” The Farmer said.

Red wasn’t all that heavy, but he had noticed the half-second that the Junimo left his hood. “It’s delicious!” Red proclaimed.

“Did you just steal a drink?”

“No.” Red droned. “I caught it in my mouth before a spilled drop hit the ground. I prevented someone from wasting it.”

“You have mouths?”

Red ignored him. “But where does chocolate milk come from? Normal milk comes from cows. But those cows are white, and the milk is white. Since chocolate milk is brown, does it come from brown cows? How come you don’t have any brown cows?”

The Farmer sighed. “Because then I’d have you guys drinking everything before I got a chance to sell it.”

“But why would you sell it? It’s delicious!”  

“But chocolate milk doesn’t even,” The Farmer stopped and sighed. “Look, I’m not arguing about this with you.” He pushed his way through the crowd and back to the town square. He must have gotten turned around, he was on the opposite side of the square than when he started. He looked around for Alex and Haley, eventually spotting them sitting on a bench. And of course, it had to be the bench that was the furthest one away from him.

He raised a hand and was about to call out to them. Before he could utter a syllable, Haley cupped Alex’s face in her hands, and The Farmer’s voice faltered as she pulled it towards her own. The pail slipped out of his hands, spilling its contents. A few people looked over at him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the two.  Alex’s face was completely red when Haley pulled away, and the sight of it made The Farmer’s chest collapse in on itself.

Had he been seeing things? No, there wasn’t any mistaking what he just saw. Haley and Alex were alone. It was a festival night, they were having fun. It’s exactly what cliché romance movies tell you. That had to be why Haley sent him away for the food; she wanted to be alone with Alex. He was just the third wheel.

But, why tonight. Why even bother inviting him if she was just going to make the move on Alex? Unless…what if she knew about his feelings? She and Alex were close friends, but he hadn’t told Haley he was gay yet. And tonight, he’d been taking so many liberties with Alex. His suggestive tones, and, oh Yoba, he caressed Alex’s face in front of her. That’s when she must have realized it Yoba, he was so stupid. Thinking he actually had a chance with Alex. Alex and Haley had known each other for years. She must have realized it then, and if she didn’t make a move on Alex…

It was his fault, all his fault. He told himself, long ago on that stormy summer night, that he wasn’t going to fall for Alex. That he didn’t want to get hurt. So, he kept it all inside and denied it. He denied it to everyone, even himself. But no matter how much he denied it, there were moments, much like tonight, where the feeling gushed out of him like a broken dam and drowned him in it. It was so sweet, so intoxicating that he didn’t even realize he was drowning in it. He couldn’t breathe.

A hand touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

The Farmer turned sharply. Abby was behind him, her other hand held to her chest. Sebastian and Sam stood a few feet behind her—Sam held a half-eaten corndog and Sebastian a drink—both looking equality concerned as Abby.

“Ah, yeah,” The Farmer quickly pushed Abby’s hand off of him. The physical contact felt like a thousand needles gouged into his skin. “I-, I’m fine. I just, I just got surprised and dropped my…”

He turned away, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Tears welled up in his eyes. He bent down and started picking up the ruined cookies.

Sam and Sebastian exchanged a look. Abby knelt down next to The Farmer, picking up the dropped bucket. It only held about a quarter of the original amount. She said nothing, so neither did he. She rose as he did, waiting for him as he deposited what he’d gathered into a nearby trashcan. She didn’t say anything when remained there, wiping tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. When he turned back and took the bucket from her, he didn’t meet her eyes.

They stood there for a second before Abby said, “You know, you can come to me if you need to talk about anything. Sam and Sebby too.”

“Yeah,” Sam stepped forward. “If you need a man to chat to, you can talk to us!”

“You wanna hang out with us for a bit?” Sebastian offered.

The Farmer forced himself to smile. He wanted to barf. “Thanks guys, but sorry. I’m hanging out with Haley and Alex now. It’d be rude to just ditch them. Especially after I dropped Haley’s order.”

Abby’s eyes flitted over toward the other two for just a moment. Alex looked pretty embarrassed and Haley looked fed up. Everything looked normal to her. “Okay, then we’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, see you later.” The Farmer waved them off as the trio disappeared back into the festival booths.

The whole time, Red kept silent and motionless inside The Farmer’s hood. It could sense the anguish, sharp as lighting, the second it struck The Farmer’s heart. It could offer its magic to temporarily make The Farmer stronger. But as the spirit gently pressed its body against The Farmer’s back, it knew there was nothing it could do for the human at this moment. This was something he’d need to get through on his own.

 

* * *

 

“What happened?” Haley asked, looking down at the mostly empty pail. “Did you get hungry on the way down here?”

“Sorry,” The Farmer laughed. “I accidently ran into a kid and dropped the bucket.”

Alex regarded The Farmer. His laugh was different. It sounded forced. He stared for what he felt was slightly too long, but The Farmer didn’t notice. Was that a bit of red around The Farmer’s eyes?

“Oh,” Haley frowned down at the bucket. “Well, that’s unfortunate, but whatever. Alex, your wallet please.”

“Excuse me?” He said, attention forcibly shifted.

“Your wallet. You’ve got to have milk with cookies, so I’m going to the milk bar. And, I believe you still owe me. I won’t make you two wait up for me.” She extended her hand. Alex could read the silent addition as well. _You owe me for giving you two alone time._

Alex begrudgingly pulled his wallet out. As he did, he felt his heartrate speed up. When he handed it off, he’d be alone with The Farmer. He could confess.

“Thank you,” Haley swiped it from him and stood up.

“I don’t mind going with you,” The Farmer said. “I wasn’t feeling like doing much else anyways.”

Haley waved him off. “I’m a big girl. I can fend for myself in a milk bar.”

“I really don’t mind,” he insisted.

Haley paused, squinting at him. “Well maybe I do. Need to spend some quality time with me, myself, and I. Okay?”

Without another word, Haley turned and walked off. The Farmer watched her go, and Alex grew slightly concerned when the other man didn’t turn back to him after Haley disappeared into the crowd.

“So,” Alex said. “What do you wanna do?”

The Farmer shrugged. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “I don’t know. I’ve gotta start setting up for the Grange Display soon anyways.”

Alex wasn’t sure what else to do with that. Whatever this was between them, this sudden cold, he didn’t know where it came from. It was a complete 180 compared to just a couple of minutes ago. Something heavy turned in his stomach, his gut told him he did something wrong again. Something that upset The Farmer—just like during the Flower Dance.

“Hey, Farmer!” Another voice drew both their attention. The Wizard approached them, his purple hair and black robes billowing behind him. “I need a favor from you,” he said.

“I’m not in the mood,” The Farmer said with distain.

“Come, come, you too, Young Alex!” The Wizard zipped behind the two men and began pushing them towards the south end of the square.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Alex protested.

“I’ve got an old friend running a booth here.” The Wizard said. “She’s a clairvoyant.”

“Clairwhosit?”

“She can predict your future.” The Wizard explained. “But problem is, her spot’s a bit…”

He trailed off, having pushed them to a lone tent across from the Stardrop Saloon. Both spots around it were empty and the poles holding up the ripped and molding fabric looked half rotten; like they would collapse in on themselves at any moment.

“Creepy?” The Farmer offered.

“Unwelcoming.” The Wizard countered. “If others see you go into the tent and come back out alive-”

“Alive!?” Alex squeaked. “What’s she going to do in there?”

The Wizard ignored him. “Then more people will be willing to get their fortunes read. It won’t take long, I promise.”

Without explaining further, The Wizard shoved the two men into the tent. Alex’s surrounding immediately faded to black. He tried to call out The Farmer’s name, but his voice didn’t come. He wasn’t even sure he had a mouth to speak with anymore. He couldn’t see his own hands in front of his eyes.

But then, a flake of white fell in front of it. Drifting slowly towards the ground, Alex realized it was snow. More snow began to fall around him, and as it accumulated, the scenery around him began to fill itself it. It gathered on the trees and it gathered on the railroad tracks. It gathered on the mountains in the distance and it gathered on the small hut behind him.

He was standing in one of the clearings up in the mountains near town. He didn’t see the spa anywhere. But he knew he had to be somewhere near it, the railroad tracks were proof enough. Maybe he was on the other side of one of the tunnels? But there wasn’t an entrance in sight. The hut didn’t look familiar either. He tried the door, and when it didn’t open he peered into the frosted windows, seeing only smoke.

“Alex!”

Someone ran past him. Alex turned, just in time to spot a man in a grey winter coat and black beanie. They ran down the tracks, disappearing beyond the trees. At that moment, Alex’s heart felt like it was being pulled out through his nostrils. Something told him he needed to follow. He ran after the other man, not noticing the snow under his feet was left undisturbed.

When Alex reached the tracks, the other man was already impossibly far away; only a dot in the distance.

“HIT THE DECK,” a woman’s voice screeched.

Alex was thrown off his feet and he was enveloped in a sudden warmth as everything went white. A deafening roar surrounded him, rushing to assault his eardrums. He heard a train horn blare, then becoming muted as if the train was suddenly submerged in water. Animals bellowed. Children screamed. Everything was ringing.

Eventually, the ringing began to subside. And as it did, his surroundings came back into focus. He stood in the hallway of a hospital. The artificial lights overhead felt harsh on his skin, and the muted pale colors of the walls suffocated him. The ringing was eventually replaced by the sobs of a young boy. The boy and a man stood at the end of the hallway.

“I’m, I’m sorry.” The boy hiccupped. One of his hands wiped the tears from his eyes while the other clung to the old man’s dirt-stained jeans. “He, he, he told me, told me not to, but I, I, I…”

The boy broke down into incomprehensible sobbing. The old man looked down at the boy. Silent tears rolled down the mans face, trickling into this grey beard. His expression was lost as he looked down at the child, unable to say anything.

And then it was dark again. Alex found himself standing inside a moth-eaten tent, The Farmer only a few feet away. His heart pounded and brain reeling as he was unsure of what he had just witnessed. The Farmer seemed unfazed. Was he the only one who saw those visions?

“Welcome, welcome.” Alex instinctively looked towards the woman at the other end of the tent. She dressed in a deep purple shall, almost black in the shadows, and sat at a wooden table with her hands folded in her lap. On the table before her was a crystal ball which rested on a velvet pillow. Next to the ball was a cardboard sign that read _“Aura readings, 100g”_ in black marker.

“I am The Clairvoyant. Your hidden past, your mystifying present, and your unseen future, none can escape my gaze. Would you like me to read your aura?”

“Sure.” The Farmer walked over to her and place his money on the table. He crossed his arms. “But make it quick. I gotta be somewhere soon.”

“Very well.” Her eyes turned to Alex, “Please, come closer young man. Make sure you’re within my divinity when I do my reading. You never know what kind of tricks the spirits may play.”

Alex stepped forward, feeling very superstitious after his recent vision. The Clairvoyant cast a hand over the crystal ball. Nothing flashy happened. In fact, nothing happened at all. At least, not anything that Alex noticed.

But The Clairvoyant seemed to have gotten what she needed. “You,” she pointed at The Farmer. “You are new to this town. The spirits have not yet grown accustomed to your presence. They seem, upset? No, apprehensive. But hopeful. They appear to have big plans for your future, so long as you do not disappoint them.”

The Farmer snorted.

“New you may be, but close friendships you have already made, haven’t you?” She continued. “I see an old man, a wheelchair. He sits before a television. He is angry. He thinks everyone’s forgotten his birthday. But he didn’t think you would.”

“Anything else?” The Farmer asked.

The Clairvoyant suddenly turned to Alex. She looked back to the ball, then again at Alex. “I see…a young man in your future.”

Alex felt his stomach drop. Surely, The Farmer had noticed the way The Clairvoyant did a double-take with Alex. But when Alex looked over at the other man, he saw no trace of emotion on The Farmer’s face. If anything, he looked like he had that day he confronted Morris.

“This man harbors a wish,” she continued. “A desire, deep within his heart. He desperately wishes to become closer with you but does not know how to continue. He has deep, genuine feelings.”

Alex wanted to scream. She was talking about him. No matter how anyone would look at it, she was talking about his feelings towards The Farmer. The feelings he’d wrestled with for so long, unsure of what they actually were. And here she was, lying them out on the table before the both of them.

The Farmer turned and left the tent without a word.

Alex stood rooted to the spot, suffering from the emotional whiplash he’d just experienced. Here he was, feeling like a frog about to be dissected, and The Farmer was displaying the emotional range of a rock. He’d voiced to Alex his worry of ever finding someone to spent his life with, yet when he’d heard about a future with that, he didn’t react?

“You’d better go after him.” The Clairvoyant scooped The Farmer’s gold off the table and into her hands.

Alex looked at the tent flap, then back at the woman. He bit the inside of his cheek. “Wait,” Alex dug out the spare change in his pocket and placed it onto the table. “Please, these dreams and visions I keep having. Can you tell me what they mean?”

She glanced down at the coins on the table. “You’re short.”

“Please,” Alex’s voice cracked. “I need to know.”

A moment of heavy silence passed, but Alex held his pleading gaze with The Clairvoyant until she sighed in defeat. She scooped up the money. “Fine. Give me your hand boy.”

Alex did as she said. She snatched it and turned it over, running her thumb across his palm. She released his hand, and then to Alex’s disgust, started sucking her thumb. She popped it out of her mouth, smacking her lips.

“Hm, something’s tampered with your memories boy.” She looked Alex up and down. “But what? Magic, personal trauma, cheese? It’s hard to tell.”

“Cheese?”

“Dairy may be good for your bones, but cheese will melt your brain!” She sang.

Alex frowned at her, slightly worried he was talking to a madwoman. “I’m sorry, can you just tell me about my dreams? You said they were tampered with?”

The Clairvoyant pursed her lips and pondered. Alex felt as if a lifetime passed before she opened her mouth again. She blinked and her eyes went white and started to glow.

_“Gone are simple days, fates children gather as one, to save the red string.”_

Alex felt his brain backfire. He knew he must have imagined the glowing eyes. And he definitely hallucinated the tent transforming into a shaded, forest clearing, the old woman’s flesh dissolving, leaving a moss-covered skeleton to speak the words of an oracle. That was most certainly a hallucination. No ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘buts’ about it. It was the only way to keep his sanity.

He blinked several times, pulling himself back to sanity, before saying, “Excuse me?”

“You didn’t pay full price, so instead of a puzzling prophecy, you get a perplexing haiku.” She waved her hands. “Now leave. I have other customers waiting. Plus, the festival’s almost over.”

“What?” Alex rushed outside, pushing past the sudden crowd that had gathered.  It was true. The sky was dark red, the lamps were just flickering on, and the food tents were closing up shop. How much time had they spent in there?

He made his way back towards Pierre’s, finding The Farmer cleaning up his display. Alex moved towards him, but then stopped. What would he even say? He desperately wanted to ask what happened to him back in The Clairvoyant’s tent. But seeing him again only reminded Alex of the complete lack of emotion from The Farmer. In fact, ever since The Farmer came back from getting Haley her food, he showed absolutely no interest in interacting with them.

The Farmer hoisted up the wooden crate, trying to balance everything else he was carrying on top of it. He made it about three steps before stumbling and almost dropping everything. Alex swallowed his doubts and ran over to him.

He called out, “Hey!”

The Farmer met his eyes, but Alex failed to read anything in them.

“Do you want any help with that?”

“I’m fine.” The Farmer readjusted his grip on his items.

“Are you sure? You seem kind of…”

“Kinda what?”

Alex felt a frog in his throat. The Farmer didn’t sound rude or mean-spirited. But Alex could tell something was bothering him. Silence passed between them before The Farmer sighed.

“Here,” The Farmer shoved the crate into Alex’s arms, taking the smaller items balanced on top for himself. “If you’re gonna insist, you’re carrying the heavy stuff.”

Alex stood in the square for a moment, watching The Farmer’s back as he walked away. For a split second, Alex felt like he’d been rooted to the spot, unable to follow and forced to watch The Farmer disappear into the distance. Like an unending nightmare that would squeeze its fingers around his heart.

Then The Farmer paused and turned his head back towards Alex. Alex saw the bags under The Farmers eyes, deep and purple. He slouched and his arms seemed like they were barely able to hold his things anymore. He was, in all possible definitions of the word, exhausted. A man that simply needed rest. Alex felt himself unrooted and jogged to catch up with The Farmer.

The two walked mostly in silence, mixing in with the small crowd that was leaving town. The area around the bus was serving as a make-shift parking lot for out-of-towners, so there were plenty of people walking about and chatting happily. Alex felt his eyes instinctively wander, watching the other people make their way to their cars. His eyes fell on a couple that walked a few feet ahead of them, hand-in-hand.

He wondered what it would be like, to hold The Farmer’s hand just as they walked. Their fingers would lace together and they’d step just ever so slightly closer to one another in silence. Just enjoying being in the others presence. Maybe they’d find a quiet spot to just sit down at and watch the sunset. The Farmer would rest his head on Alex’s shoulder and close his eyes…

“Saber?”

The Farmer’s voice snapped Alex out of his daydream. The two had broken away from the pack of people leaving town and were on the path back to the farm. Sitting in a tree a little way ahead of the two men was in fact The Farmer’s cat. Saber rested on one of the lower branches, body pressed up against the tree trunk.

“Saber, what are you doing up there?”

The Farmer stopped below the tree branch, looking up at his cat with concern. Saber carefully walked further out on the branch until he was directly over The Farmer. After flicking his tail once, the cat leapt from the branch, landing squarely on The Farmer’s shoulder. Alex wasn’t sure what to do as the cat very purposefully dove into the hood of The Farmer’s sweater. Saber’s head emerged, looking victorious, before leaping to the ground.

“Saber! What are you doing?” The Farmer called after his cat.

Saber paused at the edge of the undergrowth. The cat looked back at the two men, blinked, and then disappeared into the foliage.

“Dumb cat,” The Farmer muttered. “I wonder if he cut me with his claws at all…” He felt the back of his neck with one hand. Alex noticed a very intentional pause when he reached into his hood.

“You okay?” Alex asked.

The Farmer looked up quickly, like he’d forgotten Alex was there. “Oh yeah. I’m sure he’ll be fine…” He said the last part more to himself, looking at the spot Saber had disappeared.

“No, are-,” Alex forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. “I mean, are _you_ okay? You seem kinda out of it.”

The Farmer glanced at him, and Alex caught a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes. “I’m just not feeling all that well.” He turned and continued up the path.

Alex followed, quickly falling in step with him. He opened his mouth before he could stop himself. “Was it something The Clairvoyant said?”

He noticed a small twitch of annoyance on The Farmer’s face before the other man spoke. “Everyone knows fortune tellers pick very specific words and only make vague guesses. That way your everyday life can be misinterpreted into you believing they’re right.”

“But what about that stuff with my grandpa? You two have been getting along pretty well lately,” Alex promoted. “How’d she know about that?”

The Farmer scoffed. “No offense Alex, but your grandpa isn’t exactly the nicest person in Pelican Town. I ran into him outside Pierre’s and when Caroline walked out she nearly fainted. Said the sight of George engaging in normal conversation scared her half to death. I’m sure that clairvoyant had plenty of time to listen to town gossip. She probably picked it up from that.”

Alex could see The Farmer’s cottage in the distance. They were getting closer now. If he kept beating around the bush, nothing good would come of it. He blurted it out before he could lose his nerve. “What about that thing about a boy?”

There was absolutely no reaction from The Farmer. He continued walking straight ahead and said nothing.

Alex felt his confidence falter, popped like a balloon. Despite that, he couldn’t keep the words from falling out of his mouth. The longer he went on, the less confident he sounded. “She said, I don’t recall exactly, but she said that this guy really likes you, right?”

“She never said anything like that.” The Farmer said bluntly. “She only mentioned feelings and wanted to get to know me better. Never said what kind of feelings. Never said why they wanted to get to know me. Like I said, vague wording that could be misinterpreted. Anything concrete could discredit her.”

They were at the edge of The Farmer’s property now. He snorted. “Hey, you know what? I bet it’s Pierre she saw. Probably hopes I’ll sell for less if he gets on my good side.”

Alex didn’t laugh at the joke. The two climbed up the front stoop, and as The Farmer pushed open his front door, Alex asked. “What if there was someone? Someone who wanted to be with you.” 

The Farmer paused in the doorway. Alex desperately wished he could see The Farmer’s face, but the other man displayed only his back. He set his box down just on the other side of the door. When he did turn around, Alex was greeted with a half-smile. The Farmer stepped forward and took Alex’s box from him. His fingers brushed against Alex’s. His pulse quickened.

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up Alex.”

Alex fought the urge to cry. His words were being misinterpreted. The Farmer was clearly hurt by something that happened tonight. But he wouldn’t open up about it. Alex thought they’d made progress, but watching the other man now made him feel like he was looking at that same person who’d moved here three months ago. The Farmer was hiding behind that same mask he’d shown up in, afraid to let people see what was underneath.

“I’m kinda thirsty,” Alex added desperately calling through the open door. He needed to keep the conversation going. He needed to be near The Farmer, help him out with whatever was troubling him. If The Farmer invited him in, maybe, just maybe, he’d let his guard back down.

The Farmer returned, offering Alex a bottle of water. “I hope I didn’t ruin your night. Moping about something stupid like this.”

“No, not at all.” Alex felt his throat clench as he took the water. When he looked into The Farmer’s eyes, he failed to recognize anything. “If it’s really nothing too serious that’s bothering you…”

The Farmer’s smile then seemed so fake, Alex would have thought it genuine. “No, nothing serious.” The Farmer said. “I just got to overthinking about mistakes I keep making, sorry. I’ll see you later.”

Before Alex could even think of anything to say, the door was closed. He felt dumbstruck. He had no idea what to do in this situation. The light inside hadn’t been turned on yet. Was The Farmer just sitting in there, back against the door? Should he go in there, demand that The Farmer tell him what was going on?

The Farmer’s exhausted expression crossed Alex’s mind again. He looked down at the water bottle in his hand, gripping it slightly tighter. Maybe he needed some personal space and rest for now. The finer details of The Farmer’s debt to Joja was way over Alex’s head, but at the very least, it must be stressing him out. Alex wanted to just wrap his arms around The Farmer, hold him, and tell him everything would work out eventually.

He thought about the way The Farmer smiled at the fair tonight. How much fun he’d been having, how genuine his expressions had been. If that was all Alex could offer The Farmer, then so be it. With a final, longing gaze at the closed door, Alex turned and headed home.

 

* * *

 

“DAMNIT ALL!”

Popcorn crashed against the wall of the Arts n’ Crafts room of the Community Center after the image showed Alex leaving the farm. Various cries of disapproval rose up from the spirits gathered in the room.

“Why don’t they just get together already? They clearly like each other!” Green wailed.

Yellow started moving toward the door. “That’s it. I’m going to The Farmer and telling him how Alex feels.”

“No!” Blue ran after Yellow, grabbing the other Junimo by the arm. “Don’t you push them! They’ve got to work it out for themselves.”

“But look at this!” Orange leapt up towards the front of the room and threw its body against the wall. The image flicked away, changing back to the portraits of the townsfolk. Orange scrolled all the way to the top. Alex’s portrait still sat far above the rest. But, the last heart was slowly flickering from full to empty. Silence held the room in a deadly grip, until the heart eventually stayed empty.

Immediately, cries of anguish filled the room.

“If this continues, what’s gonna happen to The Farmer?” Orange demanded, yelling over the crying.

“It could ruin him,” Green muttered. “If The Farmer loses motivation, then we might lose our home!”

“Enough!” White bellowed. All spirits turned to the elder, who had placed itself at the front of the room. “Nothing good will come of worrying over nothing. The Farmer has already been steadily supplying us with items for the ritual. Why should we worry anymore?”

“But White,” Orange said, “The only reason The Farmer was able to keep bringing us offerings was because The Athlete was able to assist him. In fact,” Orange went back to the wall. It made a few more swipes, and several, complicated-looking graphs appeared. “Based on our projections, with The Athlete’s assistance, The Farmer could have gathered enough materials for the ritual by next spring.”

“But what’s this?” Green hobbled over to screen, pointing at the light green line on the graph. It rose very quickly, almost going above and beyond the graph. But at the last minute, the line nosedived to the very bottom.

“That is our worst fear,” Orange solemnly said.

A hush fell over them. Only White spoke. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes.”

“No, don’t say it…” Yellow begged.

Orange balled its tiny hands in fists and turned its back on the other Junimos. “The friendzone variable.”

Blue let loose a high-pitched scream, then fell onto its back and fainted.

Orange continued. “If things continue the way that it is, The Farmer will have his heart broken. He won’t be able to get over The Athlete. He’ll have a wonderful friendship, but he will lose the courage to open up his heart to anyone else. In that scenario, it may take ten years before we have everything we need. And by that time…”

White finished for Orange. “If that happens, many of us could fade away.”

None spoke, heavy silence filled the air.

“What are we going to do?” Yellow asked weakly.

Orange puffed up for a moment, as if inhaling heavily. “We eliminate the variable. If he never gets his heart broken, he should be able to finish by at least three years. We don’t think anyone will start fading away until five years, right?” 

Green laughed once. “You mean eliminate The Athlete? We can barely handle The Farmer’s Beast with three of us. How do you think we could eliminate a human?”

“Simple.” Orange hopped over to another wall, peeling back the wallpaper and revealing a hole filled with papers. Orange pulled the papers out and laid them before the other spirits. At first glance, it appeared to be crude children’s drawings.

“First, we steal one of The Wizard’s sleeping potions.” Orange explained. “Then, after The Athlete drinks it, we all work together to carry his mattress out of his home and dump it in the river. The current will carry him out into the ocean, and voila! One variable removed.”

“But won’t The Farmer be even more hurt if The Athlete just disappears?” Yellow asked.

“That’s what The Witch is for,” Orange pointed to a part of the paper covered in black crayon scribbles. “If we petition her, she can remove him from everyone’s memory. Then, we focus on making sure The Farmer doesn’t suffer any more heartbreak.”

The Junimos muttered amongst themselves for a while.

“Well, elder?” Green asked White after a few minutes of deliberation.

White closed its eyes and pondered before answering. “We wait. Heartbreak is still a far way off. The rewards currently outweigh the risk. But for now, we will keep both of them under careful observation. If their relationship continues to fall apart, then we will carry out the plan to remove The Athlete.”

 

* * *

 

Saber charged through town, carefully weaving between the legs of the humans when he had to. He hated this many people out here. It made him uneasy. More than once had an unknown child tried to grab at his tail. But he couldn’t even warn them off with a hiss. His mouth was full with live cargo—cargo that was fighting to be free.

Luckily for the cat, Saber was already near the Community Center. Diving into the bushes, he spit the little spirit out onto the ground. As Red coughed and stuttered to rise to its feet, Saber rested on his hind haunches and curiously watched the spirit.

“That-, that’s right, you dumb old beast,” Red gasped for air. “I-, I got out! Let this be a lesson for you.”

Saber stared down at Red. He raised his right paw.

Red screamed, raising its hands in defense.

Saber gently pressed his paw against the top of Red’s head. When Red opened its eyes, Saber blinked at it. And then, after taking his paw back, Saber disappeared back in the direction of the farm.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And ya'll thought the Junimos were harmless. Can the relationship survive the meddling of these troublesome spirits? Keep reading and you'll find out!
> 
> Also, I'm all moved now! I've been trying to focus more on my writing, I swear. And I do try to respond to most comments left on the fic, but ya'll are blowing up my inbox so fast that I sometimes only do a few and forget. Woops. But, got any questions, comments or concerns about the fic? Just come yell at my tumblr page.


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